Hyvia, a joint venture between French manufacturer Renault and fuel cell maker Plug, informed worker representatives that it was currently in receivership and “probably about to be liquidated,” Renault’s Force Ouvrière union said. reports AFP.
This information was confirmed by the group’s CGT, but the management is more evasive.
A Renault spokesperson specified that Hyvia is studying “a project to present a declaration of cessation of payments”, as a Hyvia spokesperson also confirmed to BFM Business.
The Hyvia spokesperson indicated that the company’s situation is “complex” and that it “works daily with its two shareholders to find solutions.”
“We are studying many possibilities,” he stressed, casting doubt on the “too slow emergence of all hydrogen mobility systems in Europe.”
“Innovation requires significant R&D costs and we do not have sufficient support from the industry,” a Hyvia spokesperson told BFM Business.
Shorter recharge time, higher price
Compared to electric utility vehicles, which are beginning to multiply in cities, hydrogen vehicles have the advantage of a short charging time and a long autonomy, close to that of diesel, sought by logistics companies and local authorities.
But carbon-free hydrogen production, like the distribution network, has yet to be developed, and these utilities remain extremely expensive to purchase. Hyvia began the assembly of fuel cells in 2022 in an old hangar at the Flins factory, birthplace of the Renault Twingo and the Zoé.
These batteries equip the group’s hydrogen-powered utility vehicles, assembled by Renault in Batilly (Meurthe-et-Moselle). An acceleration of production was planned for the end of 2025 with the arrival of the new Renault Master.
Renault thus intended to position itself against Stellantis, which has been offering Peugeot, Citroën and Opel utility vehicles powered by hydrogen since the end of 2021, starting at 70,000 euros without taxes, but also against Hyundai or Toyota that are betting on this energy. Force Ouvrière demands that the company’s difficulties are not followed by layoffs and that employees be offered a reclassification in Flins.
Source: BFM TV
