Well, navigating through the topic of hydrogen isn't always easy! So, we've compiled some information to make things clearer for you.
Every hero has an extraordinary story - this is that of Peter Kuhn, a hydrogen business developer at Stellantis, who has been working in hydrogen since 2022.
I started my career 26 years ago at OPEL as a Transformation Engineer for utility vehicles.To begin with I wasn’t working with hydrogen, but with electric, to organise the commercial launch of electric utility vehicles in Germany. I then moved onto hydrogen technology and we discovered that it is a completely different story. My role today is to promote hydrogen and above all to accompany the creation of hydrogen ecosystems in Europe.
This is a technology which is powerful and at the same time silent and calm when you drive.I am really fascinated by the water cycle that it creates. It is a natural and clean element that is available everywhere (in the reasonable quantities which we need) and that we discharge at the end of the process. Of course, for this to really make sense, the hydrogen used must be produced using renewable resources.
The hydrogen project really means starting from zero with different game rules. Everything has to be reinvented, challenged and adapted. It is what we have been working on internally for several years and we are very far ahead, but we must now support this work externally – infrastructure must be developed, customer attitudes need changing... You need to believe in it and persuade and drive people!Thermal combustion engine models will be stopped in a few years, in 2028 at Opel, for example. Everyone knows it; now we must act.
Stellantis is the first manufacturer to make series production hydrogen utility vehicles in Europe and it started production in 2022. In 2024, we will start producing at the Hordain plant, where we today produce combustion engine (diesel) and electric (battery) vans.
I would bring everyone in line – the filling stations, vehicle manufacturers and green hydrogen producers – so that hydrogen becomes the norm.That would also significantly bring prices down so that more people could switch to this energy.
MacGyver. He’s smart and he always finds the right technical solution to things!
Every hero has an extraordinary story - this is that of Phil Sharp, CTO & Co-founder of Genevos, who has been working in the hydrogen field since 2015.
I’m a trained mechanical engineer, specialised in composite materials. I’ve worked in the wind turbine sector, but more than anything I was a solo ocean racing skipper before becoming involved with hydrogen.
The desire to sail without emitting CO2. My journey to zero emissions started in 2005 when I took part in the Mini Transat solo sailing race from France to Brazil (the “Mini” is a 21-foot racing yacht). A few days before the start, the generator which supplies electricity to the entire boat broke down. I had to quickly find a reliable and sustainable solution. I decided to install solar panels that I rigged up on mops from Leroy Merlin! I finished fourth out of 84 participants and mine was the only boat to have sailed the 4,000 nautical miles without using fossil fuels. It was an extremely enriching experience! Further down the line, our team launched a zero-emissions project called OceansLab, with the solo, non-stop round-the-world race the 2024 Vendée Globe as the culminating point. Hydrogen was the solution because batteries were too large and too heavy. And so we began developing a hydrogen power module. And, in fact, during the design of the hydrogen-electric energy system, we saw that there was no loss of performance compared with conventional fossil fuel generators.In 2024, we want to be the first racing boat to finish the Vendée Globe without fossil fuels on board. It will be a significant demonstration of the capabilities of hydrogen technology and, above all, this new practice could be replicated to help us collectively win the race against carbon.
I would really like for us to quickly leave the combustion engine paradigm. We have realised that the maritime industry is way behind in terms of energy transition compared to other fields and yet it represents 3% of [global] greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more than aviation!
Of course hydrogen has a bright future ahead of it, even though several solutions will be involved in achieving our zero-emissions targets. In fact, I would even say that hydrogen is not the future but the present – if we want to start to act today, hydrogen really is the answer.
To truly support our clients in their energy transition, Genevos offers an end-to-end service. As well as supplying a hydrogen fuel cell that is marine-certified to offshore and commercial standards, we also offer engineering services, including design, optimisation of total cost of ownership (TCO) or of weight, energy management and the technical design of gas-powered ships.
I would change all fossil fuel filling stations to hydrogen stations!
Every hero has an extraordinary story - this is that of Chloé Zaied, Founder and CEO of HYNOVA and General Manager at Ephyra, who has been working with hydrogen ships for the last three years.
I was and still am a ship captain. I’ve sailed a great deal throughout the world, but a few years ago I returned to the fold, in the Calanques where I grew up, to set up a family business chartering boats for visiting the Calanques National Park. We organise trips that allow people to discover this magical environment and at the same time raise awareness of its fragile nature.
A jellyfish! In the Calanques, we can tell the state of health of the sea from the jellyfish – when there is a massive invasion of them, we know that there is a problem of heat, pollution, or both! And in the last few years, this has unfortunately become a recurring phenomenon. We are also seeing dolphins and tuna moving away... Beyond my fascination for these cnidarians that have existed for 620 million years and survived by adapting, they are a real natural indicator of a deeper imbalance in our ecosystem. As a captain, I face a dilemma between my business that I adore and the sea that I cherish – if you consider that a conventional boat releases approximately 620 kilos of CO2 a year, I am letting people visit the marine environment that I want to protect... while polluting it. That’s not possible for me. I right away saw hydrogen as the solution to reconcile my passion for the environment with my business which is offering my passengers a marvellous experience.
First of all, I prefer to say fighting “for”; it’s a matter of point of view but it’s important. And I am fighting for other alternatives and to make people understand that other possibilities exist...My main weapon is really education – when you do something new, you must explain it, help people understand it and share the idea, to ultimately – I hope – change mindsets.
I created the first hydrogen-powered motor yacht in France. I’m talking here about an officially approved yacht that can really transport passengers. For me, this really is the solution that reconciles everything, even ecology, performance and innovation. As well as the prizes and awards, we organised a Sea Show between Marseilles and Monaco. Over two months, in 11 ports throughout the Côte d’Azur, we demonstrated the boat, organised tours for children’s activity centres, schools, public authorities and so on. It clearly changed the course of Hynova’s adventure, even if it was quite exhausting!
