ICE, electric and hydrogen. Stellantis CV production plant in Hordain is truly multi-tasking

Stellantis will be producing ICE, electric and hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles at the group’s site in Hordain, France. It is the first plant in the world where it’s possible to produce vehicles equipped with three different powertrain technologies. According to Stellantis, from 2024, the site will have a production capacity of 5,000 vehicles per year, reaffirming the group’s ambition to be the first mass-produced manufacturer of hydrogen-powered utility vehicles.

During a recent visit to the Hordain site in the northern Hauts-de-France region, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares announced the mass production of Peugeot, Citroën and Opel light commercial vehicles in a hydrogen-powered version equipped with a fuel cell.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares speaking in Hordain

“I’m very proud of the work done by the management and employees at Hordain, who have made their site the first in the world to combine three types of energy, made possible by the flexibility of our manufacturing system”, commented Tavares. “Today’s announcement demonstrates the Stellantis commitment to investing in France in the latest technologies, and to supporting low-carbon mobility based on the ‘One Company’ principle”.

Using a reinforced platform from body-in-white onwards, the hydrogen-powered models will then follow the usual stages of paintwork and assembly, on the same production line as combustion engine and electric vehicles, before they enter the new 8,000 square meters facility that focuses solely on the final tuning. A dedicated team will install the tank, the additional batteries, and the fuel cell on a production line at the Hordain site that halves the adjustment time compared to the previous small-scale process, where the fuel cell was assembled at a pilot workshop in Rüsselsheim.

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The facility, spread across 50,000 square feet, will serve as the primary development center for STLA SmartCockpit, one of the technology platforms that are key to the company’s digital transformation strategy due to arrive in 2024.

Inaugurated in 1994, the Hordain site lies at the heart of the industrial strategy at the Stellantis commercial vehicles division. This benchmark site assembles light commercial vehicles and passenger cars from the “K-Zero” family. Hordain employs 2,440 people on three shifts, with daily production of 628 vehicles.