Announced at the start of the year, fuel cell technology is now a reality with the production of the first Citroen e-Jumpy Hydrogen. This first hydrogen light commercial vehicle is on its way to a priority customer – SUEZ Group – to complete testing. A new milestone has therefore been reached in the Citroen brand’s electrification strategy, responding to the challenges of tomorrow.
Citroen is one of the first manufacturers to industrialise this new energy solution for the future, supplementing battery electric power, which is currently the subject of massive investment programmes in France and Germany, and in many other countries. Citroen is thereby remaining faithful to 100 years of innovation and expertise in commercial vehicles, to offer bespoke solutions for every professional vehicle operator, both now and in the future.
The choice of hydrogen technology is fully in line with Citroen’s electrification strategy, and the desire to offer a variety of technical responses depending on usage. New Citroen e-Jumpy Hydrogen completes the brand’s e-LCV range, which is the largest on the market – from Ami Cargo Electric to e-Jumper, via e-Berlingo Van and e-Jumpy.
The Citroen brand’s LCV electrification strategy is based on a key principle: never compromise on vehicle capabilities or practicality – characteristics that make each van a benchmark in its segment.
The Hydrogen solution is aimed at customers that need a range of more than 186 miles (300km), for longer delivery rounds, for example. Or for customers who require a vehicle that can be re-fuelled quickly in order to maximize usage time, who need access to restricted city centres, but who also have a usage profile more suited to faster roads and motorways, where there is easy access to hydrogen fuel stations. With hydrogen vehicles of this type, more professional vehicle operators reduce the carbon footprint of their fleets, making their activities more sustainable.
There is a wide range of target customers for this technology, all sharing two points in common: a commitment to the energy transition and the need to access city centres. They may be courier operators, undertaking ‘last mile’ deliveries and transportation over longer distances, as well as local authorities or manufacturing businesses.
EXTENDED DRIVING RANGE
Citroen e-Jumpy Hydrogen has two complementary propulsion systems: a battery to store energy and supply electricity, and a fuel cell that converts hydrogen and the oxygen in the air into electricity, water and heat. As long as it is supplied with hydrogen, this power generator works continuously. The electric motor, mainly powered by the 45kW hydrogen fuel cell, is therefore able to offer an extended driving range of nearly 217 miles (350km).
The 10.5kWh-rated lithium-ion battery acts as a back-up, able to cover 31 miles (50km) on the WLTP cycle. It also provides additional power necessary to give dynamic vehicle performance, especially when accelerating, and enables energy recovery during deceleration and braking. The combination of these two components ensures a driving range of over 248 miles (400km).
RAPID REFUELLING
Filling e-Jumpy Hydrogen is 20 times faster than charging an electric vehicle (based on charging at a 100kW public charging station). Barely three minutes are therefore enough to fill up the three hydrogen tanks, which have a useful storage capacity of up to 4.4kg, saving time and increasing productivity for companies that cannot afford to leave their vehicles charging for long periods, giving them longer usage times.
UNCHANGED CAPACITIES AND PRACTICALITY
Like its electric vans – e-Berlingo Van, e-Jumpy and e-Jumper – Citroen has ensured the load volume of e-Jumpy Hydrogen is not affected by the integration of the battery and hydrogen tanks, so that customers can benefit from the added value of this new technology without negatively impacting the vehicle’s useful load space – the main requirement of operators in this segment.
To preserve the primary function of e-Jumpy Hydrogen, involving the frequent transportation of bulky and heavy objects, the battery has been installed under the seats in the cab area and the three hydrogen tanks are under the floor. The useful load volumes of the two available models are therefore unchanged compared with the electric versions: 5.3m3 for the Medium size and 6.1m3 for the XL. Similarly, the payload and towing capacity can reach up to 1000kg, in line with the Diesel versions.
Citroen e-Jumpy Hydrogen is assembled at the Sevel Nord plant in France and converted at the Stellantis Group’s hydrogen fuel cell centre of expertise in Russelsheim, Germany.
SUEZ Group wants to make low-carbon mobility a key component of its carbon strategy, which aims to reduce the Group’s CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030. By developing solutions for recovering energy from water and waste, the Group is able to optimise its customers’ energy consumption, promote the use of high-potential renewable energies and consolidate SUEZ’s expertise in hydrogen production as a key player in the sector. With more than 200 electric vehicles, SUEZ wants to step up the replacement of its fleet with vehicles that have low greenhouse gas emissions, to ensure greener mobility for light and utility vehicles and tipper trucks.
The first e-Jumpy Hydrogen will be delivered shortly for testing under actual conditions for two weeks. It will provide a practical solution to the needs of the Group’s business lines at the Carcassonne branch, by responding to the numerous daily uses of operational supervisors who need to visit various sites. The site is overseeing the project as part of an agreement between Carcassonne Agglo and SUEZ, in order to support the local authority with its energy transition ambitions, particularly through the commissioning of a local green hydrogen production station for SUEZ agents’ electric vehicles. This station is capable of supplying a total of four vehicles with 2kg of hydrogen per day.
This test will also be an opportunity for Citroen to validate the development of this technology under actual usage conditions. The collaboration to test this very first vehicle was a natural decision, in light of the relationship of trust forged between Citroen and SUEZ Group over the past few years. A commercial partnership, but also a coming together based on shared values, in order to innovate and shape a more sustainable environment. The two companies recently collaborated for the launch of Ami Cargo Electric – the innovative micro-mobility solution for professional users – at the waste-water treatment and recovery plant in Saint-Cyr l’Ecole, in the Greater Paris region. Ten Ami Cargos are in the process of joining the SUEZ fleet for journeys between worksites and to take meter readings – so both Ami Cargo Electric and e-Jumpy Hydrogen will be part of the SUEZ fleet very soon.
