A joint venture between Renault Group and fuel cell manufacturer Plug Power has unveiled prototypes of a hydrogen-powered Master delivery van and a hydrogen refuelling station.
The project, named HYVIA, aims to create a hydrogen-powered light commercial vehicle fleet network in Europe.
The hydrogen-powered Renault Master can carry up to 12 cubic metres of cargo, with a range of 500km and offers zero CO2 emissions. It will become available from 2022.
The two HYVIA (HY for hydrogen, VIA for road) prototypes which are assembled in France and will be present at the Hyvolution event in Paris on October 27-28.
“HYVIA is a tailor-made offer to our customers to meet the challenges of hydrogen mobility. HYVIA will be able to deploy its entire ecosystem in all territories and professional fleets for a carbon-free mobility, ” HYVIA chief executive David Holderbach says.
HYVIA says hydrogen mobility is useful for light commercial vehicles which are used intensively to carry cargo.
The Master Van H2-Tech is equipped with a 30kW fuel cell, 33kWh battery and four tanks containing 6kg of hydrogen combined and is produced entirely in France.
The van itself is built at Renault’s Batilly plant, while electric and hydrogen integration is completed by PVI, a Renault Group subsidiary based in Gretz-Armainvilliers. The electric motor is produced at the Cleon plant, while the fuel cell assembly will begin at the Flins plant by the end of 2021. The hydrogen tanks are sourced from Faurecia.
HYVIA’s hydrogen refueling stations will be available to purchase, lease or rent and are designed to meet and exceed all safety regulations and best practices, while allowing fast fueling times similar to ICE vehicles – just five minutes – to maximise vehicle availability.
Hydrogen supplied to the refueling station is either generated on-site using water electrolysis or supplied in bulk using gaseous tube trailers. The system then compresses H2 into storage, before dispensing it into the vehicle when needed.
The fuel stations will also be assembled at the Flins plant in Northern France.
The prototypes are a first illustration of the HYVIA ecosystem, the company says. This includes green hydrogen production (electrolysers) and distribution (hydrogen refueling station), with a range of fuel cell-powered light commercial vehicles (van, chassis cab and citybus), that are complementary to battery electric vehicles.
More prototypes currently being worked on include the Master Chassis Cab H2-Tech: a large van with even more cargo space (19m3) and a range of around 250km.
In addition, the Master Citybus H2-Tech is an urban minibus that can carry up to 15 passengers, ideal for businesses, municipalities, and local public services, with a range of 300km.
