Symbio opens fuel cell gigafactory in France

Symbio, a joint venture between Forvia, Michelin and Stellantis, today opened its first gigafactory in Saint-Fons, France, which is set to become the largest integrated site for fuel cells in Europe. The plant, known as "SymphonHy", is set to produce up to 50,000 fuel cells a year by 2026. The site is home to the Group's headquarters, a production facility, an innovation center and the Symbio Hydrogen Academy. A high degree of automation and robotics will enable large-scale industrial production at competitive costs.

"Today's inauguration is an important step as hydrogen is part of the technology mix we are driving forward for commercial vehicle customers," says Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. With fuel cells from Symbio, Stellantis intends to further expand its hydrogen offering in addition to the light commercial vehicles already available in Europe: With large vans, Ram pickups and heavy-duty trucks for the North American market.

SymphonHy is part of "HyMotive", a strategic €1 billion project to develop new technologies supported by the European Union and the French government. The plan is to build a second gigafactory and double the total production capacity in France to 100,000 systems per year by 2028. (aum)