A first hydrogen service station inaugurated in Valencia

The very first hydrogen service station in Drôme/Ardèche is inaugurated this Friday in Valence, near the Valence-Sud toll (but not on the motorway). It will be put into service in the first quarter of 2025 and costs nearly 3.6 million euros excluding taxes. If for the moment almost no one runs on hydrogen, this will be the case within a few years, because the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region subsidizes via its hydrogen plan at 120 million euros (with European aid).

“The Region is committed to putting 50 hydrogen buses into circulation within three years”explains Jean-Christian Beaumont is general director of Hympulsion. “We also have utility vehicles, expected deployments, between 200 and 300 at the end of 2025. And after that, there are other partners, such as the Ginoux group, which has committed to already taking around ten coaches. At least 5 to 6 should arrive in 2025 in the region, between Drôme and Ardèche.he adds. The forecasts are clear: in the region alone, 800 hydrogen vehicles could be on the road by 2028.

Complementary to electricity

Valencia will be part of a network of 15 hydrogen stations in total. “We already have some in Chambéry, in Moûtiers, in Lyon-Saint-Priest, in Vénissieux, in Saint-Égrève, in Clermont-Ferrand. And there, we have Valence. In fact, we have to give the capacity to someone who would like to cross our region from east to west or from north to south to be able to recharge with hydrogen. It will be the largest public network, the largest network in France.boasts Thierry Kovacs, vice-president responsible for the environment at the Region. Thus, in 2025, service stations will open near the A7 in Salaise-sur-Sanne and Malatavernes. Another will also open in Aubenas.

According to him, hydrogen is complementary to electric, particularly for long-distance vehicles. “A taxi with an electric motor could not drive a whole day without recharging, and it does not have time to stop for an hour at a terminal to do so. For him, hydrogen makes sense, refueling It takes five minutes and there is more autonomy For a short journey between home and work, an electric car is sufficient, but hydrogen is complementary..