Stellantis to be the first mass-produced manufacturer of hydrogen-powered utility vehicles

Stellantis is scaling up production of the Peugeot Expert, Citroën Jumpy and Opel Vivaro fuel cell light commercial vehicles to an industrial level.

Following investment in the Hordain site, Stellantis will have a production capacity of 5,000 vehicles per year from 2024.

“I’m very proud of the work done by the management and employees at Hordain, who have made their site the first in the world to combine three types of energy, made possible by the flexibility of our manufacturing system,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares

“Stellantis has succeeded in moving on to the next step in automotive history, in a transition managed in conjunction with our social partners at our 12 industrial sites across seven French regions, where we are proud to have laid historical roots.”

The hydrogen-powered vehicles will be assembled on the site’s multi-energy line, which already produces the electric and combustion engine versions of the “K-Zero” daily.

Using a reinforced platform from body-in-white onwards, the hydrogen-powered models will then follow the usual stages of paintwork and assembly, on the same production line as combustion engine and electric vehicles, before they enter the new 8,000-m² facility that focuses solely on the final tuning.

A dedicated team will install the tank, the additional batteries, and the fuel cell on a production line at the Hordain site that halves the adjustment time compared to the previous small-scale process, where the fuel cell was assembled at a pilot workshop in Rüsselsheim.

This industrialisation of hydrogen-powered light commercial vehicles – accompanied by €10 million in investments with financial support from the French government – is a new step for Hordain, where 43% of models for the Peugeot, Citroën, Opel, Vauxhall, Fiat and Toyota brands are already available in a zero-emission electric version.

The “K-Zero” vehicles with a fuel cell are intended for long-distance freight professionals who require a longer range (400 km), the fastest possible charging time (3 minutes) and no compromises on charging capacity (1000 kg of payload).