New bad news for the hydrogen sector: the manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cells for transport Symbio plans to cut 358 jobs on its site in the suburbs of Lyon, inaugurated with great fanfare in December 2023.
A meeting on the job protection plan is underway in this joint venture between the tire manufacturer Michelin, the automobile supplier Forvia and the manufacturer Stellantis, which was put in difficulty by the withdrawal of the latter this summer.
On this occasion, a project to eliminate 358 positions out of 506 was presented to staff representatives, according to a source close to the matter.
Contacted by AFP, management simply indicated that it would communicate at the end of this meeting.
In December 2023, Symbio inaugurated with great fanfare the largest fuel cell factory in Europe in Saint-Fons (Rhône) which was to be 80% occupied by production dedicated to Stellantis.
To equip utility vehicles, buses and even pick-ups, the factory should produce 15,000 hydrogen systems in 2024, then increase to 50,000 per year by 2026.
The State had invested 600 million euros, as part of a European subsidy plan, and placed a lot of hope in this “gigafactory”.
“The energy and ecological transition is happening now”, welcomed the Minister of Energy Transition at the time, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. “It’s good for jobs, it’s good for the planet and for our sovereignty: these solutions will replace fuel that we import from the rest of the world.”
– “Niche” –
But in July, Stellantis, which had become a shareholder in Symbio, formalized its withdrawal from the project, explaining that it did not see any “prospects of economic profitability in the medium term” in the hydrogen market, described as a “niche segment”.
Michelin then condemned an “unexpected, brutal and non-concerted decision”, “all the more surprising given that Stellantis has always displayed the ambition to be the pioneer of this new market”.
Stellantis at the time estimated the cost of ending this hydrogen program at 700 million euros.
Since this announcement, synonymous with a sudden drop in the order book, around a hundred employees have resigned, according to the local press.
Hydrogen vehicles operate using a pure form of the gas combined with oxygen in a combustion cell that generates electricity, and releases only water vapor.
On paper, hydrogen has many advantages for utilities: rapid recharging; a system that is lighter and more compact than that of electric cars, which therefore takes up less payload; good autonomy and water vapor in the exhaust.
Hydrogen systems also require fewer strategic metals, such as cobalt, than electric cars.
It also has disadvantages: for hydrogen extraction to be profitable, very inexpensive energy is required in large quantities; gas transport infrastructure, such as distribution stations, must be deployed.
Renault also put its hydrogen utility plant in Flins (Yvelines) into liquidation at the start of 2025. Among automakers, only Toyota, Hyundai and BMW continue to believe in it with small development programs and a handful of vehicles on the streets.
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