A crucial step towards a more environmentally friendly transport future was taken on Friday 15 September in the Maurienne Valley. A partnership agreement was officially signed, bringing together key players such as the SFTRF, AREAthe Maurienne region union and HYmpulsion, around the Alpine Hydrogen Highway project.
This initiative aims to create a territorial ecosystem promoting the decarbonized transport of goods using green hydrogen, from the heart of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to the Piedmont region in Italy. This partnership aims to deploy at least 30 hydrogen trucks by 2025 in this geographical area, marking a significant step towards a more sustainable transport future.
The stakeholders of this project have made important commitments by signing this agreement, in particular:
- Writing a grant application project : The signatories of the agreement undertake to develop a draft request for subsidies aimed at supporting companies in their transition to hydrogen vehicle fleets, thus facilitating the conversion to decarbonized mobility.
- Access to hydrogen at a fixed price until 2032 : The entire network HYmpulsion will provide access to hydrogen at a fixed price until 2032, ensuring cost stability for users of hydrogen vehicles.
- Reduced motorway fares for heavy hydrogen vehicles : In order to encourage the adoption of this technology, reduced rates on motorways will be offered to heavy vehicles running on hydrogen, with a view to the introduction of the Eurovignette.
The signing of this agreement demonstrates the firm commitment of the stakeholders involved to promoting more environmentally friendly mobility.
« Since December 2022, we have equipped all of our service areas with electric charging stations for light vehicles. But we want to go further by committing to the decarbonization of heavy goods vehicles. This is reflected in the development of the first hydrogen stations in France, dedicated to heavy goods vehicles and long-distance coaches, or AREA’s commitment to various projects aimed at accelerating the renewal of vehicles towards less carbon-intensive energies. » Guillaume Hérent, General Director of APRR-AREA motorways
« Until the new Lyon-Turin rail link is put into service, modal shift will only be able to contribute marginally to the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from freight traffic between France and Italy. This is why the SFTRF is investing in the short-term development of low-carbon heavy goods vehicles. Those that run on hydrogen appear to be the most suitable for driving on the mountain motorways that lead to the Fréjus tunnel. » Alain Chabert, General Director SFTRF
« Hympulsion was born from the commitment of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, Michelin, Engie, Banque des Territoires and Crédit Agricole with the deployment of hydrogen mobility. We strongly believe in the advantages represented by hydrogen – in autonomy and recharging speed – to ensure the long-distance transport of goods. The Hympulsion network will represent 18 refueling stations in the region and an additional potential for interconnection with other networks and regions. The Maurienne Valley represents a strategic crossing point between northern Italy and France. » Jean-Christian Beaumont, General Manager of HYmpulsion
« Engaging with partners SFTRF, AREA and Hympulsion to create and develop an ecosystem favorable to the deployment of hydrogen mobility is fully in line with the energy strategy of the Maurienne Valley. Maurienne’s elected officials are therefore in favor of pushing mobility decarbonization solutions now without waiting for the new Lyon-Turin railway line to come into service. Hydrogen can contribute to these future solutions. Beyond the commitment of the communities, they wish, through this operation, to bring all the economic players in the valley, including the tourism and transport sectors, into their wake. » Yves DURBET, President of the Maurienne Country Union
