A new step forward in clean mobility_ Air Liquide and Groupe ADP open the hydrogen station at the Paris-Orly Airport

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Air Liquide and Groupe ADP today inaugurated the first public hydrogen station installed in an airport zone in France. It was designed and installed by Air Liquide with the support of the FCH JU1 and is promoting the deployment of “Hype”, the world's first hydrogen-powered taxi fleet. This collective project is opening up a new ​clean ​mobility ​option ​in ​the ​Greater ​Paris ​Area.

Hydrogen offers a number of benefits for clean transportation. Used in a fuel cell, it combines with the oxygen in the air to produce electricity, with water as the only byproduct. It does not generate any pollution at its point of use: zero greenhouse gases, zero particles and zero noise. Hydrogen brings a concrete response to the challenges of sustainable mobility and local pollution in urban areas. It takes less than five minutes to recharge hydrogen-powered ​electric ​vehicles ​for ​a ​driving ​range ​of ​around 500 ​kilometers.

With this new station located at a major airport, Air Liquide and Groupe ADP are helping to develop a network of hydrogen stations in the Greater Paris Area and contributing to the adoption of clean modes of transportation. The Parisian taxi fleet “Hype”, the world’s first ever taxi fleet powered by hydrogen, was launched by the start-up STEP (Société du Taxi Électrique Parisien) in 2015, in partnership with Air Liquide. Currently powered by an Air Liquide station located in the heart of the French capital, at Cours Albert 1er near Pont de l’Alma, the fleet counts more than 50 hydrogen-powered vehicles and plans to grow to 600 taxis by 2020. Air Liquide will continue to support the growth of this offer by opening new hydrogen stations around Paris in 2018, notably one near Versailles, and another at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Benoît Potier, Chairman and CEO of Air Liquide, commented: “Present in the hydrogen sector for 50 years, Air Liquide is actively developing its energy applications today and is involved in the organization of this field, mostly through the Hydrogen Council. The installation of this charging station at the Orly Airport, in collaboration with Groupe ADP, marks a new step in the development of clean mobility in and around Paris. It also illustrates the maturity of technologies and the mobilization of a growing number of players in promoting hydrogen energy. Indeed, this molecule has a key role to play in the energy transition thanks to its capacity to store renewable energies and its various applications for industry and transport.”

Augustin de Romanet, Chairman and CEO of Groupe ADP, added: “The rollout of this innovative equipment in collaboration with Air Liquide is one of the embodiment of our ambitious policy promoting innovation while protecting the environment. A hydrogen station will also be installed at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in 2018. This new energy offer provides access to new modes of transportation and allows us to reaffirm our role as an experimental territory and as a key player in the field of mobility.”

1The FCH JU (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking) is a public private partnership supporting research, development and demonstration activities in energy technologies, fuel cells and hydrogen in Europe. This infrastructure is part of the H2ME project that has received funding from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 671438. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research.