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Summary of our market study
The market for hydrogen stations and hydrants in France is developing rapidly, thanks to the support of public authorities, notably the France Relance and France 2030 plans. By 2025, France should have 225 hydrogen stations, with a target of 1,000 stations by 2030.
This growth is in line with the growing demand for hydrogen-powered vehicles, which remain a niche market largely dominated by the Hyundai Nexo and Toyota Mirai
future growth in hydrogen vehicle sales - a key driver of demand for hydrogen stations - is underlined by France Hydrogène's ambition to see 300,000 such vehicles by 2030.
Currently, ENGIE is the main operator with 16 stations in France, and the country's first hydrogen station was inaugurated in Saint-Lô in 2015.
Estimates predict a market leap from 0.6 million euros to 4 billion euros by 2030.
Key players in the French hydrogen station market
- Hynamics: A subsidiary of energy giant EDF, Hynamics specializes in hydrogen for industry and mobility. The company has demonstrated its commitment to zero-emission mobility by operating hydrogen refueling stations throughout France.
- Air Liquide: Recognized for the installation of advanced hydrogen stations, Air Liquide is a key player, promoting clean energy solutions and investing in the future of hydrogen-powered transport.
- Engie: the global energy and services group, aims to be a leader in energy transition in France and around the world. The goal is to install 50 hydrogen stations by 2025.
- Atawey: A specialist manufacturer of hydrogen charging stations, Atawey is a French company that designs and produces autonomy and energy storage solutions particularly suited to isolated sites.
- McPhy, a key technology provider and equipment manufacturer in the hydrogen market. Specializing in production and storage solutions, McPhy offers an integrated hydrogen infrastructure that includes electrolyzers and refueling stations.
- HRS (Hydrogen Refueling Solutions), a major French player that designs, manufactures and installs hydrogen refueling stations.
- Lhyfe, based in Nantes, France, is renowned for having inaugurated the first offshore hydrogen production platform at Saint-Nazaire.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and presentation
The hydrogen stations and hydrants market in France refers to the economic activity related to the production, sale and rental of hydrogen stations and hydrants in France. These are hydrogen storage or filling stations, with the most common pressure being 700 bar, and sometimes 350 bar.
In Europe, the market has recently experienced strong growth, thanks in particular to the fact that the sector benefits from government support schemes, which amount to a total of around 25 billion euros. In France, initiatives have multiplied, particularly as the industry has benefited from the €7 billion France Relance plan and the €2 billion France 2030 plan.
EDF operates hydrogen charging stations (Hynamics), Air Liquide has installed new ones, and Engie is aiming to install 50 by 2025. In addition to the major industrial groups, market players also include specialized manufacturers of hydrogen charging stations: Atawey, McPhy and HRS (Hydrogen Refueling Solutions), in particular, are gradually gaining ground.
France is also a major hydrogen player on the world stage: in September 2022, in Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), a company inaugurated the world's first offshore platform capable of producing hydrogen at sea. The company, based in Nantes, France, Lhyfe, has set its sights on mass production with this platform, which produces hydrogen from seawater using energy supplied by wind turbines
The challenge for the sector in the near future will be to adapt supply to growing demand , while reducing maintenance costs.
1.2 Global market trends
The size of the hydrogen station market is estimated in **** at *.* billion US dollars, and is expected to reach * billion by ****, with an average annual growth rate of +**% according to GlobeNewswire.
Governments are mobilizing to accelerate the automotive energy transition. Transport as a whole accounts for **% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the IPCC, and around **% of CO* emissions from fossil fuel combustion.
Share of transport in GHG emissions France, ****, in Source: ****
Hydrogen-powered cars are a fast-growing market. From **** to ****, there has been strong growth in this sector, with overall sales of hydrogen-powered cars rising to **,*** by ****. The Covid-** crisis has slowed overall growth, as can be seen from the number of sales between **** and ****, which has risen only slightly. However, growth accelerated sharply between **** and ****, with an increase of +**% between **** and ****.
While hydrogen-powered cars are still rarely seen on the streets, and the market still seems to be a niche one, sales seem to be taking shape more and more, and the need to deploy hydrogen stations and bollards is proving to be a real possibility. The market for hydrogen-powered cars looks promising for years to come.
Worldwide sales of hydrogen-powered cars from **** to **** World, ****-**** Source: ****
The choice ...
1.3 The French hydrogen station market
The number of hydrogen filling stations in France is set to rise sharply over the next few years. To date, there are ** hydrogen refueling stations in France, and with the addition of hydrogen stations currently under construction, France should have *** hydrogen stations by ****. By ****, a thousand hydrogen stations are also planned, according to the French National Hydrogen Strategy.
Number of hydrogen stations planned between **** and **** France, ****-**** Source: ****
1.4 Comparison with the electric car
If we compare electric cars and hydrogen-powered cars, the hydrogen-powered car represents a very promising alternative, as it avoids long recharging times. For an electric car, the recharge time is ** to ** minutes. For a hydrogen-powered car, the recharging time is much shorter, taking only * to * minutes to fill up.
However, hydrogen-powered cars still lag far behind electric cars. Worldwide, for example, there are *** hydrogen filling stations, compared with ***,*** charging stations for electric vehicles, i.e. over a thousand times more opportunities to fill up an electric car than a hydrogen car.
As for the European car market in ****, *** hydrogen-powered cars will be sold, compared with ***,*** new electric car registrations.
Comparative table of electric and hydrogen-powered cars in France, Europe and the world, ****
Source: ****
Hydrogen-powered cars therefore represent a small proportion of "clean" energy cars compared with electric cars. Given these significant differences, we can see a promising future ahead for hydrogen-powered cars.
We can try to examine the reasons for refusing to buy an electric car, to conclude on the quality of the alternative represented by hydrogen-powered cars. The first reason for refusing to buy an electric car is the high cost of purchasing and running such a car, and hydrogen-powered ...
1.5 Current obstacles to the development of hydrogen-powered cars
There are three main obstacles to the development of the hydrogen car market. The first is the limited number of refuelling options available: there are very few hydrogen refuelling stations anywhere in the world, particularly in France. This is not surprising, and stems from the fact that the number of hydrogen-powered cars sold in recent years has been very low, so this small number does not make it worthwhile to set up hydrogen filling stations en masse.
The second obstacle to the development of the hydrogen station market is the fact that hydrogen-powered cars are very expensive, costing between €**,*** and €**,*** to buy a new car. This is a high price indeed, since it has to be set against market volumes, which are very low and therefore don't allow for economies of scale.
Finally, the last obstacle to the development of this market, compared with the development of the electric car market, is that the production of hydrogen-powered cars is not yet very clean. If we consider only its use, the hydrogen-powered car is environmentally friendly because it emits no fine particles, no GHGs or pollutants. If we compare the CO* emissions per km for the different types of car, we see ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 The French and hydrogen
In addition to the initiatives put in place by governments, we also note consumers' desire to acquire a more environmentally-friendly transport vehicle: according to IFOP, **% of those surveyed consider that reducing the negative impact of transport on the environment should be a government priority. Of these, **% consider that this should be the government's first priority. This desire to reduce our carbon footprint reinforces the potential of hydrogen-powered cars, which have less of a negative impact on the environment.
Transport issues perceived as priorities [***]
As far as popular opinion on hydrogen is concerned, the majority of the population has heard of hydrogen, but many still consider that they are poorly informed on the subject. According to a **** Harris Interactive study, only **% of French people say they have a very good idea of what hydrogen is all about. The same study carried out the following year, in ****, shows that awareness of hydrogen is on the rise, with **% of French people claiming to have a good understanding of what hydrogen is, an increase of +* points. Proportion of the French population who feel well-informed about hydrogen-powered cars How well do you feel you know the subject of hydrogen-powered cars? [***] The vast majority of French people ...
2.2 Trends in the French market for clean energy cars
If we first look at the trend in the number of new passenger car registrations by engine type, we can distinguish the downward trend in the number of petrol and diesel cars. Indeed, the number of petrol car registrations has fallen drastically from *,***,*** to ***,*** between **** and ****, almost halving. The same phenomenon can be observed over the same period for diesel-thermal cars, with a drop from ***,*** to ***,***, a reduction of -**%.
The trend is reversed, however, for electric and hydrogen cars, where the number of registrations has been rising steadily since ****. We can also see that this increase has intensified between **** and ****, rising from **,*** in **** to ***,*** in ****, an increase of +***%.
While the total number of cars has fallen in recent years (***), the fact that electric and hydrogen-powered cars are growing strongly is a sign that consumers are keen to reduce their environmental impact and find less polluting alternatives. However, it should be borne in mind that the majority of "electric and hydrogen" cars are electric: in ****, for example, overall sales of hydrogen-powered cars amounted to ** sales, for a total of ***,*** for both types of car combined.
Engine type **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Diesel - thermal * *** *** * *** *** * *** *** * *** *** * *** *** * *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Diesel - hybrid NR *** * *** ** *** * *** ** *** * *** * *** * *** ** *** ** *** ** *** Gasoline - thermal *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** * *** *** * *** *** *** *** *** *** Petrol - hybrid NR ** ...
2.3 The future growth in sales of hydrogen-powered vehicles will determine demand for hydrogen filling stations
France Hydrogène is targeting ***,*** cars and vans in its "Ambition ****" scenario.
There are currently * hydrogen-powered cars on the market in France: the Hyundai Nexo, launched in ****, and the Toyota Mirai, launched in ****. The range of these two cars is around ***km, for a price of between €**,*** and €**,*** due to their advanced technology. The purchase price is still very high compared with a conventional car, even an electric one.
Other hydrogen-powered cars should soon be appearing on the French market: the BMW iX* Hydrogène, the Hopium Machina, the first top-of-the-range hydrogen-powered sedan to be manufactured in France, and the NamX HUV, which has announced a competitive price of €**,***.
Comparative table of hydrogen-powered cars sold and to be sold in France, ****
Source: ****
While only ** hydrogen-powered cars were sold in France in ****, other hydrogen-powered cars have seen the light of day thanks to Hysetco's Hype project. Hysetco is an asset management company created by Air Liquide, IDEX, Société du Taxi Elevctrique Parisien (***) and Toyota. In **** Hysetco acquired Slota, a major player in the cab industry, to create the world's largest fleet of hydrogen cabs. Slota's *** cabs, currently diesel-powered vehicles, will be gradually replaced by hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirais. Hype's goal is to ...
3 Market structure
3.1 The hydrogen value chain
The diagram below shows the hydrogen value chain, with the implementation of hydrogen charging stations at the penultimate stage.
Hydrogen value chain
Source: ****
The first step in this value chain is the creation of hydrogen. Worldwide hydrogen production currently stands at ** million tonnes, supplied to the chemical industry. France produces almost a million tonnes of dihydrogen a year, representing *.*% of world production. [***] This stage therefore includes the hydrogen production plant and hydrogen production itself. Hydrogen is produced in two main ways, each with its own environmental drawbacks.
The first method involves the gasification of fossil fuels, and therefore produces a lot of greenhouse gases. This is by far the most widespread hydrogen production process, as it is also the most economical: **% of hydrogen production is steam reformed from fossil fuels.
The second production method is water electrolysis, i.e. the separation of water molecules into dihydrogen molecules and ions.This process produces very pure hydrogen, but at a much higher cost than steam reforming (***). What's more, this process consumes a lot of electricity, given that electricity in Europe today is highly carbon-intensive. To produce hydrogen cleanly, we need to use electricity from renewable sources such as solar or hydro power. [***]
Once ...
3.2 Hydrogen filling stations in France
There will be ** hydrogen stations in France by ****, and * stations are currently planned for **** in the following three destinations: Toulouse, Paris and Challans. Counting stations already in operation and those planned for ****, these are mainly located in major cities: Paris has *, Lyon has *, and Nantes, Toulouse and Grenoble each have *.
Hydrogen stations in France's major cities Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Toulouse, Grenoble, **** Source: ****
In terms of hydrogen stations by region, * regions dominate the market, with between * and ** stations per region: Normandy, Ile-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Conversely, the Hauts-de-France, Grand-Est, Bretagne and Nouvelle Aquitaine regions have no hydrogen stations to date.
There are a large number of hydrogen stations in Normandy, most of them operated by Engie. This is the result of the EAS HyMob (***) project initiated in ****, which aimed to set up a network of ** hydrogen refueling stations in Normandy. McPhy, in partnership with Engie, will supply * hydrogen stations to support the deployment of hydrogen mobility. [***]
If we look at the operators of these stations, one main player stands out: ENGIE operates ** stations, followed by McPhy who operates * stations, Hympulsion and Air Liquide who each operate * stations. The Conseil Général de la Manche also operates the hydrogen station in ...
3.3 Type of company
There are * types of company manufacturing hydrogen stations.
The first type are the major energy or gas companies , who open up their offer to hydrogen stations. This is the case, for example, with EDF, which operates hydrogen stations via its subsidiary Hynamics. Similarly, as mentioned above, Engie is offering a number of hydrogen stations, notably as part of its project to deploy hydrogen mobility across Normandy. Engie's ambition is to install ** charging stations by ****. Air Liquide, the world's hydrogen heavyweight, has also installed hydrogen stations in France.
The second type of company is the specialist manufacturer of hydrogen stations. The three main companies are McPhy, HRS and Atawey. These companies are gradually stepping up to meet the growing demand from customers, whether governmental organizations or private players.
Breakdown of different types of hydrogen station manufacturers France, **** Source: ****
3.4 Number of direct jobs in the French hydrogen industry
The French hydrogen market is growing. In ****, the French hydrogen industry will account for *,*** direct jobs, compared with *,*** in ****, representing a **% increase between the two years. The aim is to exceed ***,*** direct jobs by ****, demonstrating France's determination to convert the population to the use of hydrogen for transport.
Number of direct jobs in France in the hydrogen sector [***]
As regards the number of plants currently in operation that manufacture hydrogen production equipment such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, recharging stations, tanks and vehicles, France currently has **, for a total electrolysis capacity in **** of ** MW.
3.5 Sales trends for hydrogen station manufacturers in France
A good way to assess the potential of hydrogen stations is to observe the development of the market's leading companies: HRS, McPhy, Atawey.
HRS is a pioneer in the hydrogen station sector and has been committed to the energy transition in transport for over ** years. The company has developed a complete range of hydrogen refueling stations for all types of fuel cell vehicles, perfectly adapted to the needs of a fast-growing European market. The French company has already delivered ** refueling stations ranging in size from *** to ***kg/day. Most of these stations have been sold in Europe (***), but also in the United States.
Table showing the evolution of HRS hydrogen station sales between **** and ****
Source: ****
HRS sales have increased considerably between the first half of ****/**** and ****/****, with a variation of +***%. The first half of ****/**** confirms HRS's position as European leader in hydrogen filling stations. In addition, HRS is developing long-term partnerships with other companies such as pHYnix, a major European player in the production and distribution of green hydrogen for the mobility sector, with an initial order for * HRS stations by ****. Similarly, HRS has developed a partnership with Engie Solutions for ** hydrogen projects between **** and ****, including * station already ordered. The HRS ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Specific features of full tank consumption
The most common filling pressure is H** or *** bar, and the older standard is H** or *** bar. Higher pressure means more hydrogen can be stored for the same volume.
Consumption is not expressed in liters per ***km, but in kilograms per ***km. Hydrogen-powered cars on the market today generally consume less than *kg per ***km, at *.*kg per ***km.
One kilogram of hydrogen releases as much energy as three liters of gasoline. But hydrogen is the smallest and lightest element in the universe. A car can therefore store just *kg of hydrogen, compared with an average ** liters of petrol for a gasoline-powered car. Models on the market have capacities ranging from *.*kg to *.*kg, giving ranges of between *** and ***km. [***]
The summary table below can be found on the energuide.be website, which compares hydrogen and gasoline-powered cars. Fill-up characteristics for an electric car depend very much on the type of car: Citroën's flagship electric car "Ami" has a range of just **km, while top-of-the-range electric cars such as the Mercedes EQS or Tesla Model S can reach a range of ***-***km. The price of a full tank of fuel for an electric car also depends on how the ...
4.2 Prices and specific features of the hydrogen-powered car offer
France Hydrogène is targeting ***,*** cars and commercial vehicles in its "Ambition ****" scenario, as well as *,*** trucks and buses.
There are currently * hydrogen-powered cars on the market in France: the Hyundai Nexo, launched in ****, and the Toyota Mirai, launched in ****. The range of these two cars is around ***km, at a price of between €**,*** and €**,*** due to their advanced technology. The purchase price is still very high compared with a conventional car, even an electric one.
Other hydrogen-powered cars should soon be appearing on the French market: the BMW iX* Hydrogène, the Hopium Machina, the first top-of-the-range hydrogen-powered sedan to be manufactured in France, and the NamX HUV, which has announced a competitive price of €**,***.
Comparative table of hydrogen-powered cars sold and to be sold in France, ****
Source: ****
While only ** hydrogen-powered cars were sold in France in ****, other hydrogen-powered cars have seen the light of day thanks to Hysetco's Hype project. Hysetco is an asset management company created by Air Liquide, IDEX, Société du Taxi Elevctrique Parisien (***) and Toyota. In **** Hysetco acquired Slota, a major player in the cab industry, to create the world's largest fleet of hydrogen cabs. Slota's *** cabs, currently diesel-powered vehicles, will be gradually replaced by ...
4.3 Hydrogen station rates and features
According to Les Echos, the cost of a hydrogen station is estimated at between * and ** million euros, which requires a great deal of time and regular consumer use to make the station profitable.
Philippe Rosier, CEO of Symbio, a joint venture between Michelin and Faurecia specializing in the development and marketing of fuel cells for vehicles, has indicated the potential for the price of a full tank of hydrogen to be lower than the price of a full tank of gasoline by ****. This would be achieved by the government and the European Union putting in place policies to support the widespread use of hydrogen.
The current cost of a kilo of hydrogen at service stations ranges from €** at the low end to €** or even €** at the high end, giving an average price for a full tank of hydrogen of between €** and €**, according to L'argus.
According to Rethink Energy's latest report, the average cost of hydrogen is set to fall sharply. The aim is to reach an average cost of €*.*/kg by ****. At the same time, the report indicates that demand for hydrogen is set to rise from ** million to *** million tonnes by ****.
Hydrogen stations can be supplied in * different ways: they ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Subsidies for hydrogen industries
To encourage French citizens to use hydrogen-powered cars, the French government set up a national strategy in September **** to provide aid to the hydrogen industries to enable them to offer solutions at reduced cost. The government's plan aims to support all key stages in the emergence of the hydrogen industry at every stage, for example the design stage by offering aid for research and development services.
In its quest, the government has set * priorities for action: decarbonizing industry by creating a French electrolysis sector, developing hydrogen-powered heavy mobility, and supporting research, development and innovation in the most efficient technologies for all hydrogen applications. [***]
The government is also committed to developing partnerships on a European scale to enable the development of large-scale projects. In addition to France, the whole of Europe has set up aid schemes to help popularize hydrogen. In partnership with Caisse des Dépôts, the European Union has allocated over ** million euros to clean mobility projects in France, including hydrogen stations.by way of example, the Hype project has received a €** million grant from the European Commission to deploy its hydrogen stations. The Banque des Territoires will also finance the project to the tune of * million euros. Finally, ...
5.2 Tax incentives for company vehicles
In addition to subsidies for companies, there are also grants to encourage consumers to adopt this more environmentally-friendly alternative. In ****, hydrogen-powered passenger vehicles are eligible for an ecological bonus of €*,*** when the vehicle's value is less than €**,***.
In France, companies whose head offices are located in France and which own company vehicles are subject to the TVS: tax on company vehicles, made up of two components: the "CO*" component and the "atmospheric pollutants" component. Hydrogen-powered vehicles do not pay this tax, as they emit neither CO* nor atmospheric pollutants when they travel kilometers. [***]
Depending on their geographical area, some local authorities offer additional assistance to encourage companies to switch to hydrogen for their commercial vehicles.
The Ile-de-France region, for example, offers a €*,*** subsidy for the purchase of hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles for SMEs with fewer than ** employees and annual sales of less than ** million. In the Paris region, the city of Paris also offers assistance of €*,*** up to €*,*** for the acquisition of a hydrogen-powered utility vehicle. Cabs can also benefit from a €*,*** subsidy to buy a hydrogen-powered car, whether new or second-hand.
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, which already boasts several hydrogen stations, is also offering up to €**,*** in assistance for small and ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Atawey
- McPhy
- Air Liquide
- Hydrogen Refueling Solutions HRS
- Engie Solutions
- Hysetco
- Hynamics
- Mahytec (Hensold Group)
- OPmobility Plastic Omnium Groupe
- OPmobility Plastic Omnium Groupe
- Roth2
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