Integrated innovation and production capabilities

Our roadmap for developing and industrializing ever more efficient and competitive hydrogen fuel cell systems.

• 2021/ 2023: Pilot plant – 1,000 to 2,500 fuel cell systems/year
  Our first production site, a laboratory for the development of our industrial scale-up processes.
• 2024/ 2028: Ramp-up to large-scale production – from 10,000 to 20,000 systems/year
  Launch of SymphonHy, Europe's largest production site for fuel cell stacks and systems, in Saint-Fons, France, in 2023. First expansion of our industrial footprint in the USA with the opening of our production site in Temecula, California, for the assembly of fuel cell-equipped heavy-duty vehicles.
• Beyond 2030 ambition: 200,000 systems/year worldwide. 

SymphonHy: bringing together innovation and industrialization capabilities in the largest integrated European site dedicated to the production of hydrogen fuel cells.

Our SymphonHy Gigafactory is Europe's biggest production sites for fuel cell stacks and systems. Meeting the highest automotive standards (IATF 16949-certified), SymphonHy brings together under the same roof our production capacities and our Research & Innovation center. In the emerging hydrogen market, where fuel cell production standards do not yet exist, our Gigafactory will help define these standards. 

We have unprecedented measurement and analysis resources, with over 100 test benches. This latest-generation equipment was developed and installed with our partners, who are leaders in the construction of test, assembly and control systems for fuel cells, batteries and electrolyzers. In line with our roadmap, we are exploring the possibility to build a second Gigafactory circa 2028.

360° Open Innovation: Unparalleled capabilities, concentrated in our innovation center.

We have chosen to bring together all of our Research & Innovation (R&I) teams within our gigafactory to foster a direct connection with our production teams and foster open innovation. Our R&I teams come from all disciplines: design, chemistry, electrochemistry, physical chemistry, formulations, coating, polymer and metallic materials, electrical engineering, mechatronics, systems, multiphysics simulation, control and monitoring, advanced quality control, physical measurement, etc. Bringing together all of our experts and researchers under one roof promotes rapid iteration, co-construction, and the emergence of new generations of fuel cells that are ever more disruptive, competitive, and industrializable, meeting the needs of every mobility. Our teams operate in an R&I center of unprecedented scale within our industry, equipped with cutting-edge technological resources.

• A 7,000 m² R&I center
• 100 engineers, 20 doctoral students, and over 20 nationalities
• Partnerships with world-renowned research laboratories

HyMotive: a transformational project that accelerates Symbio's roadmap to become a world-class fuel cell player

SymphonHy is part of our seven-year, €1 billion investment plan through our HyMotive project. HyMotive is supported by the European Commission as part of the Hy2Tech IPCEI (important projects of common European interest) hydrogen program, and by the French Government (France 2030, France Relance). It aims to accelerate Symbio's industrialization and disruptive innovation, and will lead to the creation of 1,000 jobs. It will contribute to the construction of a solid hydrogen ecosystem in Europe, a key lever for achieving Europe's net-zero target. In its second phase, HyMotive will develop and industrialize a new generation of innovative fuel cell systems, based on disruptive technology. This will boost the performance of Symbio's StackPack brand systems, while drastically reducing unit costs.

Tailored solutions for each application thanks to end-to-end control of our value chain.

We master all the key components and performance factors of our systems to develop solutions tailored to each application.

• The electrochemical core (MEA; Membrane Electrode Assembly);
• The cell formed by the stack of bipolar plates and MEAs;
• The system ("Balance of Plant," operating conditions, packaging). 

This integrated mastery of our systems allows us to improve each parameter to reach optimum performance. We are gradually planning new generations of integrated solutions that push technological performance even further. Combined with cutting-edge industrialization and a gradual increase in volumes, this will enable us to strengthen the competitiveness of fuel cell technology and gradually reduce unit costs to match diesel solutions by 2030.

A holistic proprietary methodology for measuring the performance of our systems.

We have developed a proprietary methodology for measuring the overall performance of our systems, based on the 10 key dimensions of performance, to help define the best solution for each use, optimizing the total cost of ownership throughout the vehicle's lifecycle, without oversizing and without compromising on performance.

Innoplate, our joint venture with Schaeffler for the production of bipolar plates.

Symbio and the Schaeffler Group have set up the Innoplate joint venture to produce bipolar plates, a strategic component of fuel cells, Operational as of early 2024, the production unit is located in Haguenau (France). Its initial capacity reaches 4 million bipolar plates per year, rising to 50 million worldwide by 2030.

Symbio North America: our industrial footprint in the USA. 

With the support of the California Energy Commission (CEC), Symbio is finalizing the construction of an industrial site in Temecula. Operational from 2024, the plant will assemble fuel cell-equipped heavy-duty vehicles (including trucks and commercial vehicles), as well as producing complete fuel cell systems. 

The plant is a sign of CEC's renewed confidence, following its support for the “Symbio H2 Central Valley Express” project, which aims to demonstrate the advantages and reliability of hydrogen mobility for heavy-duty transport. Both projects aim to support California's goal of achieving carbon neutrality for its entire economy by 2045.