Hydrogen: Stellantis throws sponge and cancels everything, judging that there is “no future in the medium term”
Prototype of the Opel Vivaro Hydrogen connected to a supply terminal. This fuel cell model was to embody the hydrogen strategy of Stellantis in utilities, before the abandonment of the program in July 2025. © Stellantis
Stellantis has just announced the outright stop of its development program around hydrogen vehicles. A brutal, but lucid announcement, which puts an end to the production of pro one vans with fuel cell before it even really started. At the heart of this flip-flop: a market deemed too narrow, too expensive, and structurally unfinished.
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Stellantis stops hydrogen: an admission of industrial ineffectiveness
Mass is said. On July 16, Stellantis confirmed the abandonment of Its hydrogen technologyonly a few months before the planned launch of its Pro One utility. Made in Hordain (France) and Gliwice (Poland), these models will never cross the course of production in series. The manufacturer evokes an unfavorable context, both economically and logistically.
Serial production of Pro One hydrogen vans, planned in Hordain (France) and Gliwice (Poland), is canceled.
The supply infrastructure is almost nonexistent, the costs remain prohibitive, and customers do not follow. In a clear press release, the group said: “The hydrogen market has no medium -term development prospects.” A sentence which buries, in a few words, a decade of technical ambitions.
This strategic turnaround is not accompanied by any social plan. Employees assigned to the lines concerned will be reallocated to other industrial projects, especially in battery electric. A way of preserving social balance while refocusing efforts on the most dynamic segments.
The Pro One range of Stellantis aligning its light and medium utilities (Citroën, Fiat, Opel, Peugeot…) on the logistics site of the Hordain factory. These models were to be produced in hydrogen version in the summer of 2025, before the brutal stop of the program. © Stellantis
The hydrogen market remains a niche segment, without perspectives of economic viability in the medium term. We must make clear and responsible choices to guarantee our competitiveness and meet the expectations of our customers thanks to our offensive on electric and hybrid vehicles, whether individuals or light utilities.
Remains an unknown: the future of Symbio, Iséroise joint venture founded with Michelin and Forviaof which Stellantis was so far the main customer. Without immediate industrial outlets, its economic model vacillates. The group is content to say that discussions are underway.
Through this strong gesture, Stellantis therefore chooses rationality. The manufacturer now wants to focus on solutions “More mature and economically viable”even if it means turning away from a hydrogen that some, like Toyota, Hyundai or BMW, nevertheless continue to defend. Divergent technological bets, but the same emergency: respond to the energy transition without leaving its profitability.
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