Air Liquide, Idex, Société du Taxi Électrique Parisien (STEP), and Toyota are teaming up through a joint-venture called HysetCo, the first company devoted to the development of hydrogen mobility in the Paris region.

This collaboration represents a milestone in the emergence of a hydrogen-based society in France and in the development of Hype, the world’s first fleet of zero-emission hydrogen-powered taxis, launched in 2015 during the COP21 and operated in Paris and throughout the Île-de-France region.

HysetCo will make it easier to roll out hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and their recharging infrastructure within the Île-de-France region in order to reach the objective of 600 taxis by the end of 2020. Toyota will deliver an additional 500 Mirais by the end of 2020, which will complete the existing fleet of 100 Hype vehicles.

This joint-venture covers two activities: The distribution of hydrogen and the development of mobility-related applications, with each stakeholder bringing their own expertise within this ecosystem.

The organization’s mission is to promote the sector's transition towards zero emissions, with an objective of “zero emissions for taxis/VTCs by the 2024 Paris Olympic Games”.

Hype’s fleet of taxis will also be able to rely on a wider network of charging stations, following the recent opening of a new recharging point in Roissy, near Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, which joins the existing ones (Paris-Orly, Les-Loges-en-Josas, and Pont de l’Alma). This hydrogen station in Roissy was designed and built by Air Liquide with the support of the FCH JU (Fuel Cells And Hydrogen Joint Undertaking) public-private partnership.

The FCH JU (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking) is a public-private partnership that supports research, technological development, and demonstration activities in the field of energy technologies, fuel cells, and hydrogen in Europe. This infrastructure is part of the H2ME 2 project financed by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking as part of subsidy agreement no.700350. This public-private partnership enjoys the support of the European Union's Horizon 2020 and FP7 research and innovation program, Hydrogen Europe, and Hydrogen Europe Research.

Separately, Air Liquide and Toyota, along with Hyundai, NEL, Nikola Motor and Shell, signed an MOU for hydrogen fueling components for the purpose of testing state-of-the-art heavy duty (HD) hydrogen fueling hardware to assist in standardization and speed to market for fuel cell electric trucks. (Earlier post.)