Accelerator boost in hydrogen. The French start-up Hysetco has announced a fundraising of almost 200 million euros. The investment fund specialized in hydrogen Hy24, new shareholder and main investor in this financing round in which the asset manager Eiffel Investment Group and the investment fund Raise Impact also participate, this time becomes the majority shareholder.
“It is very good news, especially to continue the growth of our activities and provide ourselves with economic resources,” but also “with human and technical resources to continue facing the strong growth that we are experiencing in our activity,” said the president. of Hysetco, Loïc Voisin, reacted this Wednesday on the set of BFM Business. Hysetco promises fast charging, “3 to 5 minutes to refuel” and around 600 kilometers of autonomy.
If the hydrogen car seems to be the promise of an effective decarbonization of transport in France, it currently faces two realities that still hold back the full development of hydrogen cars: a price significantly higher than its electric cousin (it costs 75,000 euros of half); but also a flagrant lack of stations. Currently, there are only about 70 hydrogen distribution stations in France.
Taxis and artisans
Hysetco works in both areas to ensure its growth. The start-up founded in 2017 by Air Liquide, Toyota France, the energy operator Idex and the taxi company Hype (ex-Step), has already built four hydrogen distribution stations in Ile-de-France, at airports and in the Bearing. of Saint-Cloud, the largest hydrogen station in Europe. In total, Hysetco distributes 30 tons of hydrogen per month in France.
Since this year, the young company also offers the first rental service for hydrogen-powered vehicles, a service aimed at professionals. “We will primarily target customers who make intensive use of their vehicle,” such as drivers of taxis, VTC or light utility vehicles, for example artisans, explained Loïc Voisin. Hysetco recently ordered 150 utility vehicles from Stellantis.
“The priority” of this fundraising is “to continue the network of stations,” said Loïc Voisin, with the aim of opening a dozen new stations during the year. “We will triple our hydrogen delivery capacity by summer 2024,” he said. With this fundraising, Hysetco also intends to deploy its offer in other European countries and structure the company, for example by hiring new people.
Furthermore, according to Les Échos, half of this collection should nevertheless be used to repurchase the debt inherited from the acquisition of the taxi operator Slota.
Source: BFM TV
