Symbio Inaugurates Europe’s Largest Hydrogen Fuel Cell Gigafactory to Accelerate Hydrogen Mobility

Symbio Inaugurates Europe’s Largest Hydrogen Fuel Cell Gigafactory to Accelerate Hydrogen Mobility

(IN BRIEF) Symbio, a joint venture between Forvia, Michelin, and Stellantis, has inaugurated its first gigafactory called SymphonHy in Saint-Fons, France. This gigafactory is Europe’s largest integrated site producing hydrogen fuel cells and is part of the HyMotive project, a €1 billion initiative supported by the European Union and the French government to develop hydrogen technology. SymphonHy has a current production capacity of 16,000 fuel cell systems, with plans to reach 50,000 by 2026. It also includes innovation hubs and cleanrooms for research and development. Symbio aims to support its customers in the deployment of hydrogen-powered transport, including Stellantis, which plans to offer hydrogen solutions for large vans, pickups, and heavy-duty trucks. The gigafactory is a key step toward making hydrogen electric mobility affordable and sustainable.

(PRESS RELEASE) PARIS, 6-Dec-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Symbio, an equally owned joint venture between Forvia, Michelin and Stellantis, is inaugurating SymphonHy, its first gigafactory, a center of technological and industrial excellence.

Located in Saint-Fons, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, SymphonHy is the largest integrated fuel cell production site in Europe, confirming Symbio’s role as a technological and industrial leader. The site houses the Group’s headquarters, a production plant, an innovation hub of unparalleled dimension, and the Symbio Hydrogen Academy. With its state-of-the-art technology, SymphonHy has a high level of automation and robotics supporting large-scale industrial production at a more competitive cost. These developments are key to accelerate the roll-out of competitive, high-performance hydrogen-powered transport, and contribute to the energy transition and the ambitions of Europe to move towards net zero.

SymphonHy in figures:

• A current production capacity of 16,000, to reach 50,000 by 2026
• An existing surface area of 26,000 m2, 40,000 m2 by 2026
• 7,000 m2 of space dedicated to innovation
• 8,000 m2 of ISO 8-certified cleanrooms
• More than 450 engineers, including 100 dedicated to innovation and around 20 PhDs covering a wide range of disciplines (electrochemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, etc.), brought together in a single world-class innovation center.
• A site that is energy self-sufficient and certified “Very Good” by BREEAM

SYMPHONHY WILL ENABLE SYMBIO TO SUPPORT ITS CUSTOMERS IN MAKING ZERO-EMISSION HYDROGEN MOBILITY AN AFFORDABLE REALITY, WITHOUT COMPROMISING PERFORMANCE

With more than 30 years of experience, the support of its shareholders, leaders in the automotive world, and with six million kilometers of road-testing already on the clock, Symbio has developed unique expertise.  The Group offers a broad portfolio of solutions that meet all power, durability and autonomy requirement for an efficient zero-emission mobility, from on-road light and mid-range commercial vehicles, trucks, pickups, buses and coaches, to off-road lifting and mechanical handling equipment.

With SymphonHy, Symbio is able to support its customers, pioneers of hydrogen-powered transport, in their deployment plans, which are already showing promise now, in real life.

Stellantis, one of the world’s leading automakers and also a Symbio co-shareholder, was the first company to market a zero-emission hydrogen solution for light commercial vehicles for the Peugeot e-Expert, Citroën e-Jumpy and Opel Vivaro-e models. The Company is expanding its range to include large vans with a mid-power architecture, a range of up to 500 km and a recharge time of less than 10 minutes. Stellantis confirmed today its plans to develop a hydrogen technology for its Ram brand pickups, in line with its aim of electrifying its portfolio of vehicles with a range of 320 miles ALVW or 200 miles GCWR and fast tank refilling, without compromising on payload capacity. All these vehicles will be equipped with fuel cells produced by Symbio.

SymphonHy is proof of Europe’s industrial and technological leadership. Together with the entire ecosystem and our private and public partners, we are ready to scale up and make hydrogen electric mobility, a sustainable, high-performance, and affordable reality. Delivered in less than two years, SymphonHy is testimonial of Symbio’s ability to meet its industrial commitments, underpinning the acceleration of zero-emission hydrogen mobility deployment. The first 100% fuel cell system assembled at SymphonHy was produced in October 2023, just one month after the gigafactory became operational.

Philippe ROSIER, CEO of SYMBIO

A few weeks after inaugurating two major FORVIA sites in France to accelerate the decarbonization of mobility, I’m delighted to be part of this new step for Symbio, which is now sized to meet the challenges of the global market. This plant is further proof of our commitment to zero emission mobility. FORVIA believes in hydrogen technology as the only complementary credible alternative to battery electrification. With Symbio, we cover 75% of the hydrogen mobility value chain, from fuel cells to storage systems. We are working to develop innovative solutions to improve the range of our customers’ fuel cell electric vehicles. In 2022, FORVIA delivered 10,000 hydrogen tanks worldwide, a record and an important milestone in our quest to become number 1.

Patrick KOLLER, CEO of FORVIA

Michelin was a very early believer in hydrogen and in Symbio, which we acquired before turning it into a joint venture with Forvia in 2019. The entry of Stellantis into the capital this year confirms that hydrogen meets a constant concern to support the future of mobility. This technology is now proving to be an essential addition to satisfy the need for longer range, particularly for commercial vehicles, which are starting to be fitted out. It’s no coincidence that the Group recently announced a range of hydrogen-powered vehicles through its subsidiary Watèa by Michelin, a mobility operator specializing in the energy transition of business fleets, with an offer of hydrogen vehicle

Florent MENEGAUX, CEO of MICHELIN

Symbio is the proof that three French-rooted and leading companies in their respective fields can join forces and expertise to be at the forefront. Today’s inauguration marks an important step as hydrogen is part of the mix of technologies, we are bringing forward for commercial vehicle customers. This technology is a building block of the powerful electrification ecosystem we are developing to support our bold goal to reach, by 2030, 100% electric sales in Europe and 50% in the U.S. As Stellantis purpose is to ‘”lead the way the world moves,’” hydrogen will contribute to reach our ambitious carbon net zero by 2038 target, ahead of the competition in our fight against climate change.

Carlos TAVARES, CEO of STELLANTIS

Moreover, in partnership with the German group Schaeffler, Symbio has set up a 50/50 joint-venture, Innoplate, to produce bipolar plates (BPPs), a strategic component in fuel cells. Based in Alsace, France, Innoplate will be operational in the first quarter of next year with an initial capacity of 4 million BPPs, rising to c. 50 million BPPs annually and employing over 120 people by 2030. Innoplate will help accelerate the production of new-generation BPPs for the PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell market, improving performance and competitiveness while reducing costs.

Fuel cell technology complements battery technology for sustainable electric mobility. It is ideal for intensive and demanding professional usages entailing heavy loads, long distances, and quick refilling times. It is particularly well-suited to business transport.

HYMOTIVE, A STRATEGIC INDUSTRIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROJECT, CREATING JOBS

SymphonHy is part of HyMotive, a strategic industrial and technological project supported by the European Union and the French government via the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI).

HyMotive represents a total multi-year investment of €1 billion euros. It plans to build a second gigafactory, doubling its overall production capacity in France to 100,000 systems a year by 2028. The project also aims to develop ground-breaking technology to support the competitiveness of fuel cell technology, with the aim of achieving parity with battery-powered electric mobility and traditional thermal technology by 2030.

From a workforce of 50 in 2019, Symbio now employs over 750 people and expects to create 1,000 jobs as a result of the HyMotive project.

SYMBIO, A GLOBAL LEADER IN FUEL CELLS

The Group confirms its aim of becoming a world-class industrial champion of fuel cell technology.

Symbio has also been based in the United States since 2021, already benefiting from a pilot plant in California that is sourced from the Group’s European facilities during a first phase. Currently, Symbio is already looking for opportunities to expand and build a new fuel cell gigafactory in the U.S., to support the promising hydrogen mobility dynamics in North America.

SymphonHy is helping to define fuel cell production standards that will serve as the industrial model for its new sites, in line with Symbio’s aim to produce 200,000 units worldwide by 2030.

About Symbio
Symbio is a frontrunner in zero-emission hydrogen mobility, a leading technological and industrial partner of sustainable mobility pioneers. The group combines industrial leadership, breakthrough innovation, and entrepreneurial agility to customize solutions and support its clients’ acceleration in rolling out their clean mobility roadmaps.

With over 30 years of experience, 6 million kilometers driven, and Europe’s largest integrated fuel cell gigafactory, Symbio designs and manufactures a wide range of StackPacks (pre-integrated and
pre-validated systems) addressing all power, durability and autonomy needs, for on-road and offroad hydrogen-powered mobility.

Symbio is an equal-share joint venture between Forvia, Michelin, and Stellantis. By 2030, the group’s ambition is to produce 200,000 StackPacks per year to accelerate the deployment of clean, health
and environment-friendly, mobility. www.symbio.one

About Forvia
FORVIA, 7th world’s-largest automotive technology supplier, comprises the complementary technology and industrial strengths of Faurecia and HELLA. With over 290 industrial sites and 76 R&D centers, over 150,000 people, including more than 15,000 R&D engineers across 40+ countries, FORVIA provides a unique and comprehensive approach to the automotive challenges of today and tomorrow.

Composed of 6 business groups and a strong IP portfolio of over 14,000 patents, FORVIA is focused on becoming the preferred innovation and integration partner for OEMS worldwide. In 2022, the Group achieved a consolidated revenue of 25.5 billion euros. FORVIA SE is listed on the Euronext Paris market under the FRVIA mnemonic code and is a component of the CAC Next 20 and CAC SBT 1.5° indices.

FORVIA aims to be a change maker committed to foreseeing and making the mobility transformation happen. www.forvia.com

About Michelin
Michelin, the leading mobility company, is dedicated to sustainably enhancing its clients’ mobility; designing and distributing the most suitable tires, services, and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps, and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve a variety of industries.

Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 175 countries, has 132,200 employees and operates 67 tire production facilities which together produced around 167 million tires in 2022. (www.michelin.com)

Media Contacts:

Symbio
Maria ALCON HIDALGO
maria.alcon-hidalgo@symbio.one
+33 (0) 7 61 29 43 47

Forvia
Christophe MALBRANQUE
christophe.malbranque@forvia.com
+33 (0) 6 21 96 23 53

Iria MONTOUTO
iria.montouto@forvia.com
+33 6 01 03 19 89

Michelin
Paul-Alexis BOUQUET
paul-alexis.bouquet@michelin.com
+33 679335147

Hervé ERSCHLER
herve.erschler@michelin.com
+33 (0)6 70 47 85 04

Stellantis
Fernão SILVEIRA
fernao.silveira@stellantis.com
+31 (0)6 4325-4341

Valérie GILLOT
valerie.gillot@stellantis.com
+33 6 83929296

SOURCE: MICHELIN