Symbio, a Stellantis partner, inaugurates its first gigafactory, SymphonHy

According to the company's statement, Symbio, a joint venture equally owned by Forvia, Michelin, and Stellantis, has inaugurated SymphonHy, its first gigafactory and a hub of technological and industrial excellence.

Preparing to commence operations with an annual production capacity of 50,000 fuel cell systems, SymphonHy paves the way for large-scale production and supports its customers in their low-carbon mobility efforts.

SymphonHy stands out as part of HyMotive, a 1 billion euro strategic project aimed at developing superior technologies, supported by the European Union and the French government as part of the IPCEI program.

HyMotive will provide employment for 1,000 people over its lifetime. Supported by Symbio in fuel cells, Stellantis will continue to expand its hydrogen solutions beyond the medium-sized commercial vehicles currently available in Europe and will offer large commercial vehicles, Ram pickups, and heavy-duty trucks for the North American market.

Accelerating its efforts with a low-carbon mobility goal, Stellantis continues its work in the field of alternative fuel solutions without interruption. Established in Saint-Fons in France's Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, SymphonHy stands out as Europe's largest integrated fuel cell production facility.

Confirming Symbio's technological and industrial leadership, the facility houses the group's headquarters, a production plant, an innovation center of unique scale, and the Symbio Hydrogen Academy.

With the most advanced technology in the sector, SymphonHy features high-level automation and robotics that enable large-scale industrial production at a more competitive cost.

These developments, described as key to accelerating the widespread adoption of high-performance hydrogen-powered mobility, also contribute to the energy transition and Europe's net-zero carbon progress goals.

SymphonHy will begin operations with an annual production capacity of 16,000 units in the first phase, increasing this capacity to 50,000 units by 2026. The facility, which has a usable area of 26,000 square meters, will reach a volume of 40,000 square meters by 2026. An 8,000-square-meter ISO 8 certified clean room has also been built in the facility, with 7,000 square meters dedicated to innovation-focused work.

A SELF-SUFFICIENT FACILITY IN TERMS OF ENERGY

SymphonHy will operate with a large workforce, including 100 experts in the field of innovation covering different areas (such as electrochemical engineering, chemistry, and materials science). Thus, over 450 engineers, 20 of whom hold doctorates, will be brought together in a single world-class innovation center.

The facility, which is self-sufficient in terms of energy, also holds a BREEAM Very Good certification. SymphonHy will enable Symbio to support its customers in making zero-emission hydrogen mobility cost-effective without compromising performance.

With over 30 years of experience, the support of its shareholders, leaders in the automotive world, and 6 million kilometers of road testing, Symbio possesses a unique level of expertise. The group offers a rich variety of solutions that meet all power, durability, and range requirements for efficient zero-emission mobility, ranging from light and medium-duty commercial vehicles on the road to trucks, pickups, buses, coaches, off-road lifting vehicles, and mechanical handling equipment.

With SymphonHy, Symbio is already supporting its customers, who are pioneers in hydrogen transport, with highly promising real-life usage plans.

Stellantis, a joint shareholder of Symbio, was the first company to market a zero-emission hydrogen solution for light commercial vehicles with its Peugeot e-Expert, Citroen e-Jumpy, and Opel Vivaro-e models.

The company is expanding its product range to include large commercial vehicles with medium power levels, offering a range of up to 500 kilometers and capable of being charged in less than 10 minutes.

Stellantis has announced plans to develop hydrogen technology for Ram brand pickups, in line with its goal of electrifying its vehicle portfolio with a range of 320 miles ALVW (approximately 512 kilometers) or 200 miles GCWR (approximately 320 kilometers) and fast tank refueling, without compromising payload capacity. All of these vehicles will be equipped with fuel cells produced by Symbio.

In the statement, Symbio CEO Philippe Rosier stated that SymphonHy is proof of Europe's industrial and technological leadership.

Rosier noted the following:

"Together with the entire ecosystem and our private and public partners, we are ready to scale up and make hydrogen electric mobility sustainable, high-performance, and affordable. Delivered in less than two years, SymphonHy is a testament to Symbio's commitment to fulfilling its industrial pledges and supports the acceleration of zero-emission hydrogen mobility. The first full fuel cell system assembled at SymphonHy was produced in October 2023, just one month after the gigafactory began operations."

Forvia CEO Patrick Koller stated that he is happy to be part of this new step by Symbio, which is of a scale to meet the challenges of the global market, just weeks after opening two major FORVIA facilities in France to accelerate the decarbonization of mobility.

Koller continued his words as follows:

"This facility is proof of our commitment to zero-emission mobility. FORVIA believes in hydrogen technology as the only complementary reliable alternative to the transition to battery electric. With Symbio, we cover 75 percent of the hydrogen mobility value chain, from fuel cells to storage systems. We are working to develop innovative solutions for our customers to expand their range of fuel cell electric vehicles. FORVIA delivered 10,000 hydrogen tanks worldwide in 2022. This is a record and an important milestone in our quest to be number 1."

"We are a company that believed in hydrogen and Symbio very early on"

Michelin CEO Florent Menegaux also stated that Michelin is a company that believed in hydrogen and Symbio very early on.

Menegaux assessed, "We acquired it before turning it into a joint venture with Forvia in 2019. Stellantis joining the capital this year confirms the potential of hydrogen to support the future of mobility. This technology makes a significant contribution, especially by meeting the need for longer range in commercial vehicles put into service."

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares stated that Symbio has proven that three companies with French roots and leaders in their fields can be at the forefront by combining their strengths and expertise.

Tavares noted the following:

"Hydrogen is part of the technologies we offer to our commercial vehicle customers. In this respect, today's opening is an important step. This technology is a building block of the strong electrification ecosystem we have developed to support our goal of reaching 100 percent electric sales in Europe and 50 percent in the US by 2030. Stellantis' goal is to lead the world's direction. Hydrogen will contribute to achieving our ambitious net-zero carbon goal by 2038. We are ahead of our competitors in our fight against climate change."

News Source: 12punto