Sustainable logistics: Watèa by Michelin sets out to conquer hydrogen mobility

• The new service will enable Watèa clients to reap the many benefits of hydrogen mobility.

• Hydrogen is confirming its increasing role in fleet electrification, with a 40% increase in the number of fuel cell vehicles on roads worldwide in 2022⁽¹⁾.

To coincide with the Solutrans 2023 trade fair, Watèa by Michelin, a mobility operator specialized in the energy transition of professional fleets, is unveiling a brand-new Hydrogen offering.

The new service will enable Watèa clients to reap the many benefits of hydrogen mobility. Indeed, hydrogen vehicles deliver greater autonomy and considerably quicker charging times than battery electric vehicles. With the new hydrogen offering, Watèa clients will gain access to greater operational availability for their fleet, with uses very similar to those of combustion-powered vehicles.

In real terms, the offer provides a subscription-based one-stop service which includes hydrogen vehicles, charging solutions, maintenance & 24-hour assistance, as well as a range of digital services. The subscription also provides access to European, national and regional subsidies, including subsidies from the ADEME [French Environment and Energy Management Agency] and France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region; with Watèa handling all administrative procedures with the organizations concerned.

In keeping with its decarbonization mission, Watèa has also chosen to enable its clients to refuel with renewable and low-carbon hydrogen.

For Pascal Nouvellon, Watèa CEO and President: “To make strides in decarbonizing our commercial vehicle fleets, we must give our clients the very best in electrical technology. This is why, after a lengthy test and development phase, Watèa is poised to propose its offering for hydrogen electric vehicles, in conjunction with the offer it launched in 2021 for battery electric vehicles which will continue to exist and to expand. Indeed, hydrogen electric vehicles enable users to bypass some of the constraints associated with battery vehicles: their autonomy is greater, but, more importantly, charging times are drastically reduced. We feel that today, in cities like Paris and Lyon, the hydrogen ecosystem is sufficiently mature, and demand from our clients is sufficiently strong, for this solution to be highly successful”.

The new offering is fully in accordance with the new hydrogen strategy regarding transport decarbonization recently set in France. On a national and international level, hydrogen mobility is confirming its increasing role in fleet electrification, with a 40% increase in the number of fuel cell vehicles on roads worldwide in 2022.

Since 2021, Watèa has leveraged comprehensive fleet electrification expertise through its subscription-based one-stop offering: battery electric vehicles, charging solutions, financing and more.

⁽¹⁾ 2023 EV Outlook Global Report by the IEA