Hydrogen Firm Symbio to Invest EUR 1 Bn in Fuel Cell Production in France

Faurecia and Michelin joint venture, Symbio, has announced the global scale of its HyMotive project that is to entail a total investment of EUR 1 billion in fuel cell production across France through 2028. The official statement of Symbio held that HyMotive will multiply Symbio’s capabilities in two phases.

Symbio is a global hydrogen fuel cell technology partner to OEMs and sustainable mobility
decision makers, with expertise and focus on setting automotive production standards. The HyMotive project is funded by the European Union and the French government.

Symbio stated that in its first phase, Hymotive will accelerate the industrialization and mass-production of its current generation fuel cell systems in its gigafactory under construction in Saint-Fons. Named SymphonHy, this plant will be one of the largest fuel cell system production sites in Europe, with a total production capacity of 50,000 systems per year. Its production is to start in the second semester of 2023 to support its customers, and more specifically Stellantis in its front-runner ambition to produce up to 10,000 hydrogen vehicles by 2024, in line with its strategic plan Dare Forward 2030.

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The site will house the Group’s headquarters, R&D center, Symbio’s Hydrogen Academy, and a start-up incubator centered around zeroemission hydrogen solutions.

Symbio said that in its second phase, Hymotive will develop and industrialize a new generation of innovative fuel cell systems, built on disruptive technology to boost StackPack performance of Symbio while drastically reducing unit cost. With this additional Gigafactory, Symbio’s production capacity in France will reach 100,000 StackPacks per year by 2028. Hymotive will create 1,000 additional jobs throughout the duration of the project.

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Symbio informed that the HyMotive project will be developed through partnerships with 25 companies and academic institutions spread across 6 European countries. It will promote and accelerate sustainable mobility.

Symbio is already securing the supply of green hydrogen in Saint-Fons through various agreements. Elogen will manufacture a PEM electrolyser for on-site production of 1 ton of low-carbon hydrogen per day by end 2023. Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) and ENGIE are expected to supply Symbio with hydrogen coming from CNR’s Pierre-Bénite hydroelectric power plant. Finally, Innoplate, its joint venture with Schaeffler for the mass production of bipolar plates (BPP), a strategic component of fuel cells, is effective beginning October.