Symbio, an equally owned joint venture between Forvia, Michelin and Stellantis, is inaugurating SymphonHy, its first gigafactory, a center of technological and industrial excellence. Located in Saint-Fons, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, SymphonHy is the largest integrated fuel cell production site in Europe. The site houses the Group’s headquarters, a production plant, an innovation hub of unparalleled dimension and the Symbio H₂ Academy.

With its state-of-the-art technology, SymphonHy has a high level of automation and robotics supporting large-scale industrial production at a more competitive cost. These developments are key to accelerate the roll-out of competitive, high-performance H₂-powered transport, and contribute to the energy transition and the ambitions of Europe to move towards net zero. SymphonHy in figures:

• A production capacity of 16,000, to reach 50,000 by 2026
• An existing surface area of 26,000 m², 40,000 m² by 2026
• 7,000 m² of space dedicated to innovation
• 8,000 m² of ISO 8-certified cleanrooms
• More than 450 engineers, including 100 dedicated to innovation and around 20 PhDs covering a wide range of disciplines (electrochemical engineering, chemistry, materials science, etc.), brought together in a single world-class innovation center.

SymphonHy will enable Symbio to support its customers in making zero-emission H₂ mobility an affordable reality, without compromising performance. With more than 30 years of experience, the support of its shareholders, leaders in the automotive world, and with 6-MM kilometers (km) of road-testing already on the clock, Symbio has developed unique expertise. The group offers a broad portfolio of solutions that meet all power, durability and autonomy requirement for an efficient zero-emission mobility, from on-road light and mid-range commercial vehicles, trucks, pickups, buses and coaches, to off-road lifting and mechanical handling equipment.

With SymphonHy, Symbio is able to support its customers, pioneers of H₂-powered transport, in their deployment plans, which are already showing promise now, in real life. Stellantis, one of the world's leading automakers and also a Symbio co-shareholder, was the first company to market a zero-emission H₂ solution for light commercial vehicles for the Peugeot e-Expert, Citroën e-Jumpy and Opel Vivaro-e models.

The company is expanding its range to include large vans with a mid-power architecture, a range of up to 500 km and a recharge time of less than 10 minutes. Stellantis confirmed its plans to develop a H₂ technology for its Ram brand pickups, in line with its aim of electrifying its portfolio of vehicles with a range of 320 miles ALVW or 200 miles GCWR and fast tank refilling, without compromising on payload capacity. All these vehicles will be equipped with fuel cells produced by Symbio.