In this new episode of SOLUTRANS OnAIR, Hervé Rébillon welcomes Jean-Michel Amare, Vice-President of France Hydrogène. Together, they present a broad overview of hydrogen solutions in road and urban transport, discussing vehicle and infrastructure deployment in France and Europe, and exploring the future of the sector.

Hervé Rébillon: You are Vice-President of France Hydrogène, an organization that brings together the main players in the hydrogen sector. Are your members becoming more numerous and diversified?

Jean-Michel Amare: France Hydrogène now has 400 members, including 300 industrial companies—around one hundred of which are large groups such as energy companies, manufacturers, and equipment suppliers. We also have a dense network of SMEs, with more than 170 members representing the core of the sector. These include manufacturers of electrolyzers, fuel cells, hydrogen stations, and components—in short, all those who make it possible to build the complete equipment needed for the hydrogen ecosystem. Beyond the industrial base, we also rely on the research and education ecosystem (schools, universities...) and engage local authorities and institutions: regions, intercommunalities, energy and transport syndicates.

This is our specificity: having an integrated sector bringing together all the players and resources across the value chain, which enables us to support the development of the hydrogen industry.

Also read: SOLUTRANS OnAIR #30 – Electric mobility: what barriers and drivers for the VI & LCV sector? (with Clément Molizon – AVERE-France)

Hervé Rébillon: The hydrogen truck offering is still quite limited, almost nonexistent if we exclude Hyundai and retrofit solutions. On the other hand, there are more options for LCVs and light utility vehicles, and there seems to be a real European market. What’s your take on this?

Jean-Michel Amare: Indeed, the hydrogen truck offering is limited. However, it’s important to note that hydrogen trucks do exist. You mentioned Hyundai, which operates 48 hydrogen trucks in Switzerland (editor’s note: 200 across Europe). In three years, these vehicles have traveled nearly 10 million kilometers! There is therefore strong experience and feedback on the reliability of these vehicles. In France, the offering is more limited, with only 5 trucks currently on the road, notably operated by BERT&YOU and retrofitted by Hyliko or other manufacturers. This offer primarily targets regional, national, or international transporters whose fleets cover more than 80,000 km per year. Beyond this threshold, hydrogen shows its full potential and benefits. In the coming months and years, around 150 hydrogen trucks should be deployed across France.

As for light commercial vehicles, yes, the offering is more developed. We have more hindsight here, especially as we benefit from a French leader in the field: Stellantis. These new hydrogen LCVs are interesting because they complement the existing offering, particularly battery vehicles, and are especially suited to intensive use. Although these high-usage vehicles only represent about one quarter of LCVs on the market, they are responsible for three quarters of CO₂ emissions. That’s where hydrogen provides a compelling alternative to the limits of battery technology. Moreover, these vehicles use fuel cell technology developed by another French leader: Symbio.

To conclude on this topic, it’s worth noting that a government call for projects, managed by ADEME, is currently underway to support the deployment of hydrogen LCVs. Around 500 vehicles will be funded to reduce the price gap compared to battery vehicles. This support represents about €30,000 per vehicle. The call for projects is expected to conclude in the first half of the year, with deployment starting as early as the end of the year.

Hervé Rébillon: On the flip side, we’re seeing hydrogen refueling solutions proliferate rapidly. Isn’t this a case of putting the cart before the horse?

Jean-Michel Amare: France has taken a pragmatic approach! Deployment has followed an ecosystem logic. We identified users who were ready to test and adopt hydrogen vehicles, and once a sufficient pool of users was secured, investments in hydrogen production and distribution infrastructure were made in parallel. This approach has led to the deployment of about 80 refueling stations in France, 50 of which are linked to road mobility. Deployment zones are targeted: Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Normandy, Occitanie, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté... These are pioneering regions following an ecosystem strategy. This deployment will continue, notably supported by the AFIR regulation (Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation), which aims to install refueling points every 200 km along major highways and in urban hubs to accelerate national coverage.

Hervé Rébillon: You mentioned financial and tax incentives to support the hydrogen sector. These are still limited in France, but momentum is building: in 2026, the TIRUERT will be replaced by a new system, the IRICC (Carbon Intensity Reduction Incentive for Fuels). Will this help lower hydrogen prices?

Jean-Michel Amare: Yes, it’s one of the key measures awaited by the sector and by all network developers to bring down pump prices for users. It’s worth noting that this mechanism doesn’t burden public finances, which are already heavily constrained. It is essential that the system be implemented quickly, as it acts like a certificate to shift from fossil fuels to decarbonized energy sources, including hydrogen.

This mechanism was announced as part of the national hydrogen strategy. It was also one of the requests in France Hydrogène’s mobility roadmap. Our target is to achieve a reduction of around €4.70 per kilo of hydrogen, which would cut pump prices by roughly one third. This would make hydrogen fuel very competitive for users. Final adjustments are essential to ensure that IRICC is implemented at the right level and, above all, that deployment happens rapidly—ideally from January 2026. That would allow network developers to continue their rollouts and help more users switch to hydrogen even faster.

On a similar topic: “Hydrogen: disruption or continuity for the world of road transport?”

Hervé Rébillon: Many experts argue that hydrogen is only suited for one mode of transport—heavy-duty vehicles (buses, trucks…)—but not really for passenger cars. What’s your opinion?

Jean-Michel Amare: When we talk about heavy-duty vehicles, we mustn’t forget coaches, which are also excellent candidates due to their long-distance routes, high speeds, and strong requirements for autonomy and availability.

That said, when I mentioned light commercial vehicles earlier, I referred to intensive usage—and that’s the key. Vehicle availability isn’t tied to category. Take taxis, for example: hydrogen taxi fleets are developing because their business model relies on vehicle ownership and high usage, with one or two drivers per vehicle operating as continuously as possible. In other words, taxis must be available at all times, regardless of whether they are heavy or light vehicles. The same goes for emergency services, LCVs for transporting people with reduced mobility, and goods delivery vehicles. As I said earlier, when daily usage exceeds 200 km, or when transporting over one tonne of cargo, operating in hilly terrain, or needing thermal treatment of goods—you need more energy than batteries can provide.

The right approach is to think in terms of use cases. When the usage is intensive, hydrogen is the natural solution.

Hydrogen will be a key theme at SOLUTRANS 2025! Don’t miss the major conference on the subject on Wednesday, November 19, from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Experts from France Hydrogène will also be present at the 'Hydrogen Village' during this next edition of SOLUTRANS.