Stellantis and Hype have joined forces to collaborate on the provision and utilisation of hydrogen-powered accessible vehicles. Together they plan to quickly introduce a fleet of 50 environmentally-friendly wheelchair accessible taxis in Paris, starting this year.
These vehicles, which can accommodate five passengers including one seated in a wheelchair, or six passengers without a wheelchair passenger, have been specially converted from the passenger versions of the Peugeot e-Expert and Citroën ë-Dispatch vehicles, manufactured at Stellantis’ Hordain site, in the Hauts-de-France region of France.
The Stellantis hydrogen WAV is perfectly suited to “intensive use” professionals, thanks to its 249 mile range, 3-minute refuelling time, zero emission and no compromise on the vehicle load capacities.
Another unique feature of these vehicles is that they are 100% electric ”hybrids”, comprising a reasonably-sized rechargeable battery and a hydrogen fuel cell system, making them an ideal solution for large-scale deployment.
Hype, who only offer their customers zero-emission taxis, are also setting up a dedicated organisation to serve people in Paris with a disability or reduced mobility, guaranteeing them a tailor-made service with priority booking.
As part of their new partnership, Stellantis and Hype could deploy up to 1000 hydrogen-powered taxis by the end of 2024. These potential additional vehicles are linked to obtaining the “Parisian PRM taxi*” operating licence, currently being introduced by the French authorities.
Such an offering would make it possible to meet several of the strategic priorities set by the French government: rapidly improving the volume and quality of transport services for people with reduced mobility, accelerating the energy transition with zero-emission means of transport (Crit’Air 0) and reinforcing the industrial activities at Stellantis’ Hordain site.
Xavier Peugeot, Director of the LCV BU at Stellantis, said:
“With these Peugeot e-Expert Hydrogen and Citroën ë-Dispatch Hydrogen vehicles, we are happy to further strengthen our leadership in zero-emission Vans, via our partnership with Hype, focused on people with reduced mobility.”
Mathieu Gardies, CEO and Founder of Hype, said:
“I am very happy with this first delivery of 50 Peugeot and Citroën hydrogen wheelchair-accessible taxis in Paris as part of our partnership with Stellantis, which represents a major new step in Hype’s development and the structuring of the French hydrogen industry. This fleet of vehicles, unrivalled on the market, will enable us to roll out our zero-emission service for PRM at the right scale, in the greater Paris region and then in other locations, while meeting ecological and public health imperatives and industrialisation objectives in France. Hype will also organise access to this zero-emission service for other taxi operators, in particular independent drivers and rental companies.”
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*Article 26 of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games law, adopted on 12/4/23: concerning notably the allocation of taxis "licences" to legal entities, with a target of 1,000 Parisian PRM taxis.
