A new fleet of Parisian taxis is helping improve the air quality in the French capital by driving hydrogen-fuelled cars.

As part of the Hydrogen Fuel for Paris project, a network of up to eight hydrogen refuelling stations will be setup across the Paris metropolitan area. Depending on the station, hydrogen is delivered at either 350 bar pressure for small passenger cars and buses, or 700 bar for larger vehicles. Hydrogen-fuelled vehicles emit only water, making them cleaner and quieter than traditional gasoline-powered taxis. They also offer the same driving range and refuelling time as their gasoline counterparts.

During the 2024 Summer Olympics, the hydrogen refuelling stations successfully supported taxis and other vehicles, contributing to more sustainable transport throughout the city. This project is part of a larger initiative to expand hydrogen infrastructure, focusing on supporting the growing adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles, especially within taxi fleets. The aim is to have at least 5% of the fleet made up of zero-emission vehicles, which equates to about 2500 hydrogen-powered taxis on the road.

The European Commission is actively supporting this project as part of its effort to develop a European hydrogen supply network for transportation. This progress is made possible through the collaboration of public and private stakeholders at local, regional, and national levels. These collective efforts align with and support the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure regulation. The project received €6,740,000 EU funding from the CEF Transport programme.

About CEF Transport

Since 2014, CEF Transport has supported over 1,500 projects with a total amount of €37.5 billion. Under the 2021-2027 programming period, €25.8 billion has been made available for grants to co-fund Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) projects in EU Member States. 

The objective of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility under the CEF programme is to support the deployment of alternative fuels supply infrastructure to decarbonise transport along the TEN-T network.

More information

• Hysetco website
• Hysetco YouTube channel