Stellantis has pulled the plug on plans to launch hydrogen vans in Europe, warning that that the market shows “no development prospect at mid-term”.

Stellantis was working to roll out the Vauxhall/Opel Movano Hydrogen van from later this year

The auto giant, parent to van firms Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Opel/Vauxhall and Ram, was due to launch its new range of hydrogen-powered Pro One vehicles this year but has now cancelled plans and warned that it “does not anticipate the adoption of hydrogen-powered light commercial vehicles before the end of the decade”.

Serial production was scheduled to start this summer in Hordain, France for medium-sized vans and in Gliwice, Poland for large vans. The group said the decision would not impact staffing at its production sites and that R&D activities related to hydrogen technology would be redirected to other projects.

Stellantis added that it had terminated plans due to the limited availability of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, high capital requirements, and the need for stronger consumer purchasing incentives.

Jean-Philippe Imparato, chief operating officer for Enlarged Europe, said: “In a context where the company is mobilising to respond to demanding CO2 regulations in Europe, Stellantis has decided to discontinue its hydrogen fuel cell technology development programme.

“The hydrogen market remains a niche segment, with no prospects of mid-term economic sustainability. We must make clear and responsible choices to ensure our competitiveness and meet the expectations of our customers with our electric and hybrid passenger and light commercial vehicles offensive.”

It’s also discussing alternative options for Symbio, its hydrogen JV with Faurecia and Michelin, “to evaluate the current market consequences and to preserve the best interests of Symbio, in line with their respective obligations”.

It’s the latest setback for the hydrogen vehicle market after BMW announced last month that it won’t bring its new hydrogen fuel-cell-powered production car to the UK because of the lack of infrastructure, although it’s still pushing ahead with a launch on the continent.

Stellantis was working to roll out the Vauxhall/Opel Movano Hydrogen van from later this year. Debuted at IAA Transportation 2024 in Hanover last September, the large van drew on more than 20 years of knowledge in the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at the brands.

Vauxhall had also started work on UK customer trials of the Vivaro Hydrogen, which is already sold in left-hand drive markets by Opel.

Stellantis’ announcement that it’s scrapping hydrogen fuel cell development follows years of calls for government support for hydrogen, including in the UK.

Last month saw FleetCheck point to the news that BMW won’t bring its new fuel cell model to the UK and call for the Government to show the same kind of commitment as the EU.

The European Commission has mandated that by 2030 there should be at least one hydrogen filling station every 120 miles on all major routes, and in all towns with a population of 100,000 or more. In the UK, there’s just three hydrogen filling stations for cars and only three more planned for rollout, data from UK H2 Mobility indicates.

FleetCheck had also previously warned that the adoption of hydrogen as a source of fuel for net zero road transport was “lagging way too far behind electricity” due to a lack of firm action from the UK government and also said that there was huge potential for hydrogen in future fleet zero emissions strategies for light commercial vehicles.