Stellantis — 2024-01-30
Land transportation
Stellantis will start volume production in Europe of large and midsize hydrogen fuel cell vans, expanding its range of zero-emission commercial vehicles.
The automaker said in a statement it would produce the larger vans at its Gliwice plant, in southern Poland, and the midsize ones in Hordain, northern France.
The group, which also offers battery electric commercial vehicles, has already sold hydrogen mid-sized vans, but so far only through lots for specific large clients.
Stellantis runs Europe's largest commercial vehicle plant, located in the central Italian town of Atessa, which has a production capacity of up to 1,200 large vans per day under its Fiat Professional, Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and Vauxhall brands, as well as for Toyota.
The announcement came as the Italian government is locked in disagreement with Stellantis and its single largest investor Exor, the investment arm of the Agnelli family.
Rome complains that the automaker has sometimes made choices which were against the country's interests, leading to decreased production in Italy.
Stellantis produced around 230,000 vehicles last year in Atessa, versus around 100,000 in Gliwice.
In its long-term business plan it sees its sales of hydrogen vans topping 10,000 units per year from 2025.
The group said on Monday its hydrogen fuel cell vans offered a range of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles) in their midsize version and of up to 500 kilometers for the large one. Refueling times amount to 4-5 minutes.