Every hero has an extraordinary story – this is that of Thibault Léonard, an Engineer and Hydrogen Project Manager at Moviatech who has been in hydrogen since the start of his career.
As a car enthusiast, I did my studies at an automotive engineering school and specialised in new energies and the environment. Then, two years ago, I began my career at Moviatech on a hydrogen project.
My encounter with Moviatech. And particularly with Sylvain Jourdy, Moviatech’s CEO, who presented his project to me – it was his vision that inspired me!I was familiar with hydrogen, of course, and the prospects that this new technology was opening up for mobility. The internal combustion engine has reached its limits in terms of environmental acceptability. There are also battery electric vehicles, but if we want to reduce the carbon footprint of transportation, we must look to hydrogen.What interested me at Moviatech was the user-focused approach, doing whatever is necessary to facilitate uptake and lift barriers, which will enable hydrogen to be used by all.
The preconceived ideas and barriers associated with hydrogen. I try to spread the word and convey what I believe – hydrogen is usable as of now! Projects are underway; it is operational – we proved it by touring France in a hydrogen car in 2020.Some people don’t even know that hydrogen vehicles are already on the roads!Moviatech is therefore trying to do everything it can in terms of education, as the technology is still relatively unknown. You have to re-explain that the vehicles are electric, that hydrogen is stored as a gas, that it isn’t dangerous...
Moviatech is convinced that it is a solution of the future, for certain uses: heavy vehicles, long-distance journeys, ...The most important thing is really that the hydrogen be as green as possible, because the ultimate achievement is of course to use carbon-free hydrogen.
At Moviatech, we want to make life as easy as possible for hydrogen vehicle users and remove the constraints that can be involved in driving these vehicles. Hydrogen vehicles reproduce all the advantages of combustion engine vehicles (range, refuelling time) and battery electric vehicles (quiet, clean) but we must still simplify all the logistics involved in refuelling them.
In endurance car racing, we are already seeing great initiatives. Green GT is racing a hydrogen vehicle in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. GCK is going to take part in the Dakar Ralley with a hydrogen vehicle.To see a specialist race with exclusively hydrogen vehicles would be a really fantastic step.
Every hero has an extraordinary story – here is that of Hassen Rachedi, CEO and founder of HRS (Hydrogen Refueling Solutions), who has been working in the hydrogen field for five years.
I trained as a boiler maker and started my career doing temp work as a pipe fitter and foreman. After having been trained as account manager, in 2004, I decided to start my own business, at the time called TSM (Tuyauterie Service Maintenance), in the Grenoble area. The company became involved with hydrogen in 2008.
In 2008, I came across hydrogen when a major French operator asked me to build hydrogen filling stations, mainly composed of pipe work.Over ten years or so, we developed real know-how, to such an extent that in 2019, we changed our strategy to focus on developing turn-key stations incorporating design, installation and maintenance. TSM became Hydrogen Refueling Solutions and in February 2021, to take the venture further, we raised a record €97.3M on the Euronext Growth market to accelerate our development.
I am fighting FOR the well-being of my employees.So that they enjoy their day-to-day work and give their best, and that they make the most of life! I have introduced the four-day working week since 5 December 2022!
Electric mobility is likely to play an increasing role in the fight against climate change and air pollution, as it generates zero CO2 and particles emissions during use. Both the electric vehicle technologies developed and marketed by car manufacturers are important and must be combined: battery powered vehicles and hydrogen vehicles. I am convinced that hydrogen has a key role to play in energy transition. Green hydrogen will give us energy independence, as we can produce it, store it and use it on demand.Hydrogen makes perfect sense in the heavy transport field (trains, trucks, etc.) and for intensive uses (forklifts, taxis, etc.). In transportation, using hydrogen makes it possible to push the boundaries of battery-powered technologies and achieve better electric vehicle performance in terms of range (500 to 700 kilometres), charging time (5 minutes approximately) and vehicle space. This makes it a complementary solution to batteries for heavy vehicles and commercial fleets, which cover long distances, with intensive use, and need sufficient payload. The two technologies therefore needn’t compete with one another!Ultimately, what is important is to highlight that fuel cell vehicles will give consumers purchasing power with the kilo of hydrogen in 2023 estimated at €4 to €5 per kilo at the pump. Given that a private car carries 6 kilos for a range of 700 km, a full tank will be under €30.
The business was started in 2008 and initially we were hydrogen station integrators for a major operator.We are a pure player in hydrogen refuelling stations. We are dedicated to developing this product to produce it on a large scale and make hydrogen more accessible.With the arrival on the market of fuel cell vehicles, developing refuelling stations is a real need. Deployment of vehicles and stations needs to be synchronised. With our new production site, which will be delivered this year, still in the Grenoble area, we will triple our production capacity: 180 stations a year will be built, that’s the equivalent of all those installed in Europe in the last ten years!Research and development are also crucial aspects in our company. We have built a 2,000 sq. metre test zone and are involved in several major European projects for the development of our industry.
One with a great capacity for endurance! I would say Aquaman!
I would like to conclude with the word “cooperation”. In my view, this is key to the emergence of our industry. It is the cooperation between the various stakeholders of the hydrogen value chain (producers, manufacturers, equipment providers...) that will help create ecosystems and accelerate the deployment of our fuel chain.
Every hero has an extraordinary story – here is that of Nolwenn Belleguic, Deputy CEO and Head of HR and Communications at Lhyfe, who has been working in the hydrogen field for four years.
It was Matthieu Guesné, our CEO, with whom I had the good fortune to found Lhyfe. At the time, I wasn’t really familiar with hydrogen, but, like him, I was ready to fight for the future of my children. His project, his views on energy, his courage and his optimism immediately won me over. Four years later, I am more involved than ever in a real battle to at last make way for a clean and virtuous energy model, using hydrogen in particular.
Our role is extremely important. Hydrogen is still little or poorly understood while the role it can play in energy transition is substantial. So it is up to us to make this new topic accessible and understandable and do everything possible to enable the renewable hydrogen industry to develop massively and rapidly. Massively, because we absolutely must replace anything that generates CO2 emissions by clean solutions. Rapidly, because given the stakes, we need to act fast. Our work consists in explaining hydrogen and its uses in a simple manner so that everyone can become familiar with the topic, spread the word about it and become an agent of change. The more simple we make it to talk about, the more we will succeed in making it an everyday topic. Our task also consists in informing decision makers and the general public in an energy sector where greenwashing has become a game... Many operators make statements and promises but few REALLY undertake a total transition. At Lhyfe, we don’t just state our intentions; we act.
I am fighting against inertia, as we can change things as of today. We can revolutionise the energy model right now, thanks to all those that resolve to fight global warming, with those who are getting down to the job. Doing. Doing rather than talking. Not putting off doing things just because things take time – we must act now. It is a battle that we must all fight. Lhyfe is playing a part, as are all the “Heroes”.
Follow your intuition, listen to your gut feeling and TAKE THE PLUNGE!
It is already becoming the norm in some regions abroad. It is already the norm for hundreds of businesses which have understood what a difference hydrogen can make. It will be the norm, once and for all, when it is natural to fill up with hydrogen to go on holiday and drive proudly without polluting.
With a few drops of magic potion, I would replace all the oil platforms with renewable hydrogen production platforms.
Every hero has an extraordinary story - this is that of Peter Kuhn, a hydrogen business developer at Stellantis, who has been working in hydrogen since 2022.
I started my career 26 years ago at OPEL as a Transformation Engineer for utility vehicles.To begin with I wasn’t working with hydrogen, but with electric, to organise the commercial launch of electric utility vehicles in Germany. I then moved onto hydrogen technology and we discovered that it is a completely different story. My role today is to promote hydrogen and above all to accompany the creation of hydrogen ecosystems in Europe.
This is a technology which is powerful and at the same time silent and calm when you drive.I am really fascinated by the water cycle that it creates. It is a natural and clean element that is available everywhere (in the reasonable quantities which we need) and that we discharge at the end of the process. Of course, for this to really make sense, the hydrogen used must be produced using renewable resources.
The hydrogen project really means starting from zero with different game rules. Everything has to be reinvented, challenged and adapted. It is what we have been working on internally for several years and we are very far ahead, but we must now support this work externally – infrastructure must be developed, customer attitudes need changing... You need to believe in it and persuade and drive people!Thermal combustion engine models will be stopped in a few years, in 2028 at Opel, for example. Everyone knows it; now we must act.
Stellantis is the first manufacturer to make series production hydrogen utility vehicles in Europe and it started production in 2022. In 2024, we will start producing at the Hordain plant, where we today produce combustion engine (diesel) and electric (battery) vans.
I would bring everyone in line – the filling stations, vehicle manufacturers and green hydrogen producers – so that hydrogen becomes the norm.That would also significantly bring prices down so that more people could switch to this energy.
MacGyver. He’s smart and he always finds the right technical solution to things!
Every hero has an extraordinary story - this is that of Phil Sharp, CTO & Co-founder of Genevos, who has been working in the hydrogen field since 2015.
I’m a trained mechanical engineer, specialised in composite materials. I’ve worked in the wind turbine sector, but more than anything I was a solo ocean racing skipper before becoming involved with hydrogen.
The desire to sail without emitting CO2. My journey to zero emissions started in 2005 when I took part in the Mini Transat solo sailing race from France to Brazil (the “Mini” is a 21-foot racing yacht). A few days before the start, the generator which supplies electricity to the entire boat broke down. I had to quickly find a reliable and sustainable solution. I decided to install solar panels that I rigged up on mops from Leroy Merlin! I finished fourth out of 84 participants and mine was the only boat to have sailed the 4,000 nautical miles without using fossil fuels. It was an extremely enriching experience! Further down the line, our team launched a zero-emissions project called OceansLab, with the solo, non-stop round-the-world race the 2024 Vendée Globe as the culminating point. Hydrogen was the solution because batteries were too large and too heavy. And so we began developing a hydrogen power module. And, in fact, during the design of the hydrogen-electric energy system, we saw that there was no loss of performance compared with conventional fossil fuel generators.In 2024, we want to be the first racing boat to finish the Vendée Globe without fossil fuels on board. It will be a significant demonstration of the capabilities of hydrogen technology and, above all, this new practice could be replicated to help us collectively win the race against carbon.
I would really like for us to quickly leave the combustion engine paradigm. We have realised that the maritime industry is way behind in terms of energy transition compared to other fields and yet it represents 3% of [global] greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more than aviation!
Of course hydrogen has a bright future ahead of it, even though several solutions will be involved in achieving our zero-emissions targets. In fact, I would even say that hydrogen is not the future but the present – if we want to start to act today, hydrogen really is the answer.
To truly support our clients in their energy transition, Genevos offers an end-to-end service. As well as supplying a hydrogen fuel cell that is marine-certified to offshore and commercial standards, we also offer engineering services, including design, optimisation of total cost of ownership (TCO) or of weight, energy management and the technical design of gas-powered ships.
I would change all fossil fuel filling stations to hydrogen stations!
Every hero has an extraordinary story - this is that of Chloé Zaied, Founder and CEO of HYNOVA and General Manager at Ephyra, who has been working with hydrogen ships for the last three years.
I was and still am a ship captain. I’ve sailed a great deal throughout the world, but a few years ago I returned to the fold, in the Calanques where I grew up, to set up a family business chartering boats for visiting the Calanques National Park. We organise trips that allow people to discover this magical environment and at the same time raise awareness of its fragile nature.
A jellyfish! In the Calanques, we can tell the state of health of the sea from the jellyfish – when there is a massive invasion of them, we know that there is a problem of heat, pollution, or both! And in the last few years, this has unfortunately become a recurring phenomenon. We are also seeing dolphins and tuna moving away... Beyond my fascination for these cnidarians that have existed for 620 million years and survived by adapting, they are a real natural indicator of a deeper imbalance in our ecosystem. As a captain, I face a dilemma between my business that I adore and the sea that I cherish – if you consider that a conventional boat releases approximately 620 kilos of CO2 a year, I am letting people visit the marine environment that I want to protect... while polluting it. That’s not possible for me. I right away saw hydrogen as the solution to reconcile my passion for the environment with my business which is offering my passengers a marvellous experience.
First of all, I prefer to say fighting “for”; it’s a matter of point of view but it’s important. And I am fighting for other alternatives and to make people understand that other possibilities exist...My main weapon is really education – when you do something new, you must explain it, help people understand it and share the idea, to ultimately – I hope – change mindsets.
I created the first hydrogen-powered motor yacht in France. I’m talking here about an officially approved yacht that can really transport passengers. For me, this really is the solution that reconciles everything, even ecology, performance and innovation. As well as the prizes and awards, we organised a Sea Show between Marseilles and Monaco. Over two months, in 11 ports throughout the Côte d’Azur, we demonstrated the boat, organised tours for children’s activity centres, schools, public authorities and so on. It clearly changed the course of Hynova’s adventure, even if it was quite exhausting!
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