Driving around France in a hydrogen car is anything but impossible for the Moviatech team!
Biarritz, Lyon, Lille... In 2021, the Moviatech team took on the challenge of driving to all these cities in a hydrogen car to understand what could still be holding back long hydrogen journeys. Drawing on their experience, they then developed an app designed to help users plan these hydrogen trips. Phillip Van der Merwe, CEO of Moviatech, shares his insights.
Lesson #1: It's possible!
"We planned our tour of France and managed to complete it on time, without any major hitches. It wasn't easy, it wasn't always smooth, but we did it. We took national roads, highways, and even drove from Paris to Lille and back on a single tank. Most importantly, we met many people who had never seen a hydrogen car before!
What's great about these cars is the comfort – they're very quiet, even on the highway!"
Lesson #2: Access to stations is still a real constraint
"The first step is to know where the stations are and the conditions for accessing them. This information is available, but you still need to plan your route in advance.
When we arrived at the stations we had planned on our routes, they were not always open, not always ready to fill our tank (they need to build up pressure and this can take time between fill-ups), and sometimes specific subscriptions were needed to pay for the fuel. In short, there were many constraints to manage before arriving at the station, often by calling the station directly. We experienced a 30-minute refueling stop because everything was ready, but we also waited 16 hours for a fill-up because a truck had refueled just before us!"
Lesson #3: An app is needed to simplify all this
"We returned with one conviction: the situation was not acceptable for new hydrogen users, and an app had to be created to make life easier for everyone so that this mode of transport could be widely adopted and help us decarbonize mobility. We created a patented app where you can see available stations, book a time slot, view the price of hydrogen, and see if the hydrogen is green or not. You can also plan your trip. This app also allows you to pay for the transaction with a single payment method.
Thanks to the use of AI, data, and blockchain, and the transmission of data between stations, energy producers, and vehicles, we eliminate all barriers related to the use of a hydrogen vehicle."
