Limoges Métropole announces its first hydrogen powered buses for 2025 – France.
The urban community of Limoges will develop a “local hydrogen ecosystem” that should make it possible to produce green hydrogen by electrolysis. This production will, among other things, power a dozen buses that will come into operation from 2025.
Limoges Métropole has planned to put into service 13 buses running on hydrogen between 2025 and 2028 as part of the development of a “local hydrogen ecosystem”. The development of this ecosystem responds to a call for projects from ADEME (Environment and Energy Management Agency) which provides funding to the tune of 5.9 million euros: it was voted unanimously at thecommunity council of 21 November 2022.
A fleet of buses and a “green petrol station”
Limoges Métropole wants to install an electrolyzer, a kind of “service station” that will producegreen hydrogen obtained by electrolysis of water (or to be precise, dihydrogen) in the Grande Salle sector, north of Limoges. A site that is close to the energy-waste plant – which should provide electricity – and the second bus depot that will be in operation in spring 2023.
The executive of the agglomeration indicates that “new technical possibilities consisting in changing the motorization of vehicles (the retrofit) make it possible to study an acceleration of the decarbonization of the bus fleet”. Limoges Métropole should therefore put into service:
five buses equipped with fuel cells running on hydrogen (H²) from 2025
three in 2026
three in 2027
two in 2028
The agglomeration has chosen the same type of fleet as the City of Pau, where8 buses running on hydrogen began running in December 2019. According to Limoges Métropole, “this fleet of vehicles would make it possible by 2028 to guarantee the use of more than 50% of the hydrogen produced by the electrolyzer carried by LHYMO”.
Gilles Bégout, vice-president in charge of transport, said:
The objective of the agglomeration.
“is to produce 400 kilosof hydrogen per day, or 200 kilos for our buses and even eventually hydrogen-powered dumpsters. As for the other 200 kilos produced, they can be sold to private customers, road or other, using this energy. This part of the project will be led by LHYMO, Limoges Hydrogen Mobility, a subsidiary of Engie. Limoges Métropole also plans to “enter the capital of LHYMO according to terms still to be defined”.
An energy of the future?
As early as November 2021, Emmanuel Macron had announced that1.9 billion euros would be devoted to the development of the hydrogen sectoras part of the investment plan France 2030 of 30 billion. The development of hydrogen, the President told Le Monde, is “a battle for industry, for ecology and for sovereignty”.
According to astudy by the Energy Review published in October 2021, hydrogen needs will be multiplied by 6 by 2050 in Europe. An energy that can take several forms and which, if it has its advantages, does not have the answer to everything, as detailed by the researchers of the Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) quoted by our colleagues of 20 minutes.
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Limoges Métropole announces its first hydrogen-powered buses for 2025, November 29, 2022
