(Saint Denis, France) – French hydrogen refueling station operator Hysetco and ride-hailing company Uber plan to build a fleet of approximately 2.000 hydrogen taxis in Paris within the next five years. Uber will invest an undisclosed sum in Hysetco, a joint venture between the hydrogen fund Hy24, Air Liquide, Total Energies, and Toyota. According to media reports, the Japanese automaker will supply its Mirai vehicles.
Hysetco, operator of eight hydrogen refueling stations in the Paris area, claims to already have over 800 fuel cell taxis in the Île-de-France region. In addition to hydrogen refueling, the company also offers vehicle rental, maintenance, repairs, and insurance.
This is not the first attempt by the industry to establish hydrogen vehicles on a large scale in Paris. In the summer of 2023, the automotive conglomerate Stellantis announced its intention to deliver 50 vehicles designed as taxis to Hype, a former Hysetco subsidiary and an organization for people with limited mobility. Hype had already been operating hydrogen taxis for several years, operating a hydrogen mobility platform encompassing supply, production, distribution, and use. The plan was to have 1.000 such vehicles by the end of 2024 and to integrate another 15 major cities into the concept by 2025.
But in 2025, the plans fell apart, and Hype announced it was now focusing on purely electric taxis. There are differing accounts of the reasons for this change of course. At the time, these ranged from internal disputes among all parties involved and financial difficulties to accusations that the hydrogen producers in the Hysetco joint venture were using their market position to impose high hydrogen prices, making the rides unprofitable.
Photo above
Uber plans to build a fleet of around 2.000 hydrogen-powered vehicles in Paris. © Hysetco
