- Via the Last Mile project, these partners will deploy a nationwide zero-emission mobility network in France
Paris — Akuo Energy, the leading French IPP in renewable energy, and Atawey, French manufacturer of decentralised hydrogen refuelling stations, are to deploy 33 refuelling stations in urban and suburban areas of Paris and other French towns and cities, before expanding the project across Europe. These stations will provide fuel for 400 hydrogen-powered vehicles for JCDecaux, Galeries Lafayette and other pioneers in zero-emission urban mobility.
A European Commission call for proposals
In February 2017, the European Commission, via its Innovation & Networks Executive Agency (INEA, the agency in charge of European transport networks) and under the impetus of EU Commissioner for Transport Violetta Bulc, launched the “CEF Transport Blending MAP Call” to finance innovative and sustainable projects to modernise European transport infrastructures. This call for proposals is in line with the European Commission’s intention of providing its citizens with sustainable mobility solutions and its 2050 decarbonisation strategy. Akuo Energy (project coordinator) and its partners
Atawey, JCDecaux and Galeries Lafayette have been selected in the “Innovation” category with Last Mile, a project enabling the wide-scale deployment of a network of green, compact and decentralised hydrogen refuelling stations. In this respect, they will benefit from a European Union subsidy of €7 million.
Zero-emission mobility at competitive prices
The massive adoption of hydrogen solutions by towns and cities wishing to adopt increasingly ambitious policies to reduce air pollution requires the development of a decentralised refuelling infrastructure enabling a comprehensive network to be established. The Last Mile project meets this challenge with a wide-scale deployment fuelled by green electricity supplied by Akuo Energy, guaranteeing an affordable and stable hydrogen price. More than 400 hydrogen-powered vehicles will enable 1,182 tonnes of CO2 to be avoided per year. Thus, over a 15-year project life cycle, the reduction in CO2 emissions will be almost 35,500 tonnes.
Atawey:a key player in the chain
For this project, Akuo Energy naturally chose to work with Atawey, a longstanding player in the development of decentralised hydrogen solutions that are 100%-green, as they produce hydrogen on site from renewable electricity. Atawey will provide the experience gained through 11 stations equipped with electrolysers and the first high-capacity station for the Zero Emission Valley project in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
JCDecaux: an urban mobility player and maintenance expert
With Last Mile, JCDecaux, the number one worldwide in outdoor advertising and in street furniture with a presence in more than 80 countries, is implementing the transition of its fleet to hydrogen-powered vehicles. As a partner of the Last Mile solution, JCDecaux is striving to make zero-emission mobility possible for its multiprofession agents, in addition to the electric vehicles already used for the regulation of the 4,000 Vélov’ bikes in Lyon and the maintenance of its 400 automatic public toilets in Paris. The Group will also provide the project with its expertise in terms of design and its operational excellence in the deployment of service-oriented furniture in urban areas.
The Last Mile for the Galeries Lafayette group
The final segment of goods transport, called the “last mile”, is a real challenge for distribution chain players. As a partner of the Last Mile solution, the Galeries Lafayette group, which supplies its Paris stores from its warehouses in the Paris region, has chosen to ensure the transition of its vehicles to zero-emission mobility.
Eric Scotto, Chairman and Co-founder of Akuo Energy, tells us: “This partnership is another milestone for Akuo Energy, whose aim is to make renewable energy available to all. This operation will allow Akuo and its partners to give local regions a certain level of autonomy over mobility. It is thanks to carbon-free and decentralised hydrogen and to the complementary areas of expertise of each Last Mile player that we are currently moving towards an agile territorial transition”.
Jean-Michel Amaré, Chairman, CEO and Co-founder of Atawey, adds: “With Last Mile, hydrogen-powered mobility is scaling up and entering a wide-scale deployment phase. A longstanding player in hydrogen technologies, Atawey is reaffirming its status as a major player in decentralised hydrogen-mobility infrastructures to cover every region of the country. Atawey and its Last Mile partners are very pleased to have this opportunity to take practical action to meet the challenges of the ongoing energy revolution we are facing”.
Jean-Charles Decaux, Chairman of the Executive Board and Co-CEO of JCDecaux, said: “Through Last Mile, JCDecaux is continuing to implement its innovation strategy that aims to facilitate sustainable urban mobility, and is broadening its field of action via a project that, in many respects, has the same characteristics as its self-service bikes that have revolutionised the way people get around in 70 cities around the world: decentralised infrastructures, dense network, affordable prices, ease of use and low environmental footprint. Alongside our partners, we are delighted to be a stakeholder in this wonderful project that will meet the expectations of a substantial number of urban areas”.
Read the most up to date Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Industry news at FuelCellsWorks
