Viapost, member of the "Hydrogen Retrofit Coalition" to accelerate the decarbonisation of road transport.

The Hydrogen Retrofit Coalition, which met for the first time on 13th January, is a grouping of transport stakeholders interested in accelerating the conversion of heavy-duty road vehicles currently running on diesel to hydrogen.

What is the Hydrogen Retrofit Coalition? What does it do in the field of transport?

A grouping of stakeholders: who are they?

The HGV sector is facing a major challenge: to develop practices and equipment to reduce the environmental impact of transport activity.

Among the low-carbon energies, hydrogen is a possibility. Several players representing the entire transport value chain and wanting to accelerate the conversion of diesel vehicles to hydrogen have joined forces in a "Hydrogen Retrofit Coalition".

It brings together shippers, carriers and logisticians, equipment manufacturers, retrofitters, financiers and leasers, politicians and public administrations. :

The creation of the Hydrogen Retrofit Coalition: its origin.

The H2 Retrofit Coalition was founded by several major players involved in the deployment of hydrogen energy:

• E-Neo, specialist in the conversion of heavy goods vehicles to electric and hydrogen
• Alice, Industrial Alliance for Competitiveness and Energy Efficiency
• Seiya Consulting, consulting firm in Hydrogen
• EIT InnoEnergy France, an industrial alliance of EBA for battery storage, EGHAC for green hydrogen and ESIA for solar photovoltaics
• DB Shenker, a player in transport and logistics
• pHYnix, independent producer of green hydrogen in Europe
• Green Hydrogen Ambassador for France 2030

Objective of the Hydrogen Retrofit Coalition

Faced with the challenges of decarbonising transport, the H2 Retrofit Coalition aims to retrofit 10,000 trucks per year in France with hydrogen by 2030.

The H2 Retrofit Coalition's proposal to achieve this goal is to :

• Create a network of retrofitters and maintenance garages
• Attracting €30-50m of industrial investment
• Lowering costs through volume consolidation
• Promote retrofitted truck orders by committed hauliers, followed by their shipper customers
• Mobilise the public authorities to adapt regulations, taxation and aid

Viapost, a player committed to decarbonising its transport

Viapost's transport business launched its transition several years ago, focusing on the development of an energy mix: electric, biofuel, CNG, biogas and hydrogen.

Anne-Laure Charpenet, Director of Transport Energy Strategy at Viapost/La Poste, was of course present at the launch of the Hydrogen Retrofit Coalition and comments:

At the same time, Viapost has already launched a number of projects such as the opening of a CNG station at its Chelles platform, the switch to biogas for its customer La Poste, support for La Poste in setting up its first electric truck and the switch of part of its Ile-de-France fleet to biogas...

On 23rd June 2022, it also organised a meeting with its 20 largest French transport partners to engage them in its approach to decarbonising its heavy goods vehicle transport, sharing with them its analysis of low-carbon energy and its ambitions.

Moving towards decarbonisation of transport

Accelerating decarbonisation is one of the objectives of France 2030, the investment plan proposed by the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron. The aim of this investment plan is to sustainably transform key sectors of the national economy through technological innovation.

54-billion-euro investment

A 54-billion-euro investment will help ensure the transition of strategic industries such as energy, automotive, aeronautics and space, and enable them to respond to the ecological challenge in a competitive manner.

Hydrogen is an "industrial revolution”.

Michel Delpon, Green Hydrogen Ambassador for France 2030 says:

"Hydrogen is an industrial revolution" which will mobilise part of the 54 billion euros intended for the reindustrialisation of France.

The hydrogen retrofit solution will accelerate the decarbonisation of heavy transport and achieve zero emissions by 2050.