Hype’s hydrogen taxis are coming to Brussels

French company Hype’s hydrogen taxis are coming to Brussels, according to the business newspaper L’Echo.

To tackle the market in the Belgian capital, Hype notably acquired a stake in the local taxi company Mol-Tax. The company would also install its green hydrogen stations in Brussels.

Second hydrogen taxi project in Brussels

From 2025, all new taxis in Brussels must be emission-free. The Air-Climate-Energy Plan aims to make the capital CO2-neutral by 2050.

The various taxi operators currently operating in the capital are preparing for this, including by electrifying their fleets or testing alternatives such as taxis on hydrogen.

In September 2022, D’Ieteren’s Taxis Verts and Colruyt’s Virya Energy launched a pilot project, with the first hydrogen taxi hitting the Brussels streets. Once they have the new permit from the region, they plan to deploy 50 new hydrogen vehicles in Brussels.

But they are not going to be the only taxi firm with a hydrogen vehicle in Brussels because, according to L’Echo, French company Hype is also going to bet on it in the capital.

€18 million subsidy

Hype, launched by Mathieu Gardies in Paris in 2015, is also an official partner of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where it wants to deploy 1,500 hydrogen taxis by the end of the year (as well as its hydrogen stations – currently it has 2 in Paris).

Recently, Hype was also one of the partners of ConnectingEuropeDays, Europe’s mobility flagship event held recently in Brussels. CINEA, the European Climate Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, is playing a crucial role in the rollout of a European hydrogen network. Thanks to European support – Hype received 18 million euros in funding – you will soon be able to order an emission-free Hype taxi in Brussels.

Own green hydrogen stations

The company entered into an agreement with Stellantis on this (a hybrid version of the Peugeot e-Expert and Citroën ë-Jumpy, battery and/or hydrogen), while the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo will also become part of the Brussels fleet.

Hype had been toying with plans to come to Brussels for some time. The company is also targeting cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Porto, while domestically, it also wants to bet on Le Mans and Bordeaux. The plans have now gained momentum because Brussels Capital has organized the allocation of vignettes for battery and hydrogen EVs.

The company will also install its green hydrogen stations in Brussels, which is one of the tricky issues that emerged from the tests by Taxis Verts and Virya Energy.

Exactly how many cars Hype will be rolling out in Brussels is not clear yet, nor by when. To convince taxi drivers in Brussels, Hype will offer packages of cars, access to charging stations, and the Hypp application.