France: first hydrogen fueling station will open in Downtown Paris

On the occasion of COP21, Air Liquide, world leader in gases for industry, health and the environment, is installing the first hydrogen charging station in Paris, in partnership with the Paris-based electric taxi start-up STEP (Société du Taxi ElectriqueParisien), and the support of the Paris City Council. The station will be located in the heart of Paris, at Cours Albert Ier, in the Pont de l’Alma public parking lot.

The new station will enable the deployment of “hype”, the first fleet of hydrogen-powered taxis serving the Greater Paris Area. This fleet, initially composed of five Hyundai ix35 cars, should count around 70 vehicles within a year and several hundred within five years. In the course of 2016, a permanent network of hydrogen charging stations, designed in particular to meet the needs of this taxi fleet, will gradually be installed in the Greater Paris Area.

The Paris facility, like all the stations designed and installed by Air Liquide, is able to recharge hydrogen-powered electric vehicles in less than five minutes for an extended range of up to around 500 kilometers.

François Darchis, member of the Air Liquide Executive Committee supervising Innovation, stated: “I am delighted about this partnership with the start-up STEP. This first station will allow us to promote the benefits of hydrogen as a clean energy for vehicles with consumers. Hydrogen offers a concrete solution to the challenges posed by the issue of sustainable mobility, reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as local pollution in urban areas. This project further illustrates Air Liquide’s commitment to the deployment of hydrogen technologies that support both sustainable mobility and environmental protection.”

https://www.ngvjournal.com/first-hydrogen-fueling-station-will-open-in-downtown-paris/