MOBYPOST · Mobility with Hydrogen for Postal Delivery

Transport will probably experience its main revolution from the beginning of the industrial age. Developments around thermal engines meet technological limits and fossil origin fuel are more and more disparaged due to their worth impact on environment, climatic evolution and air or noise pollution in the cities.Research is lead in different ways from years to purpose alternative energies to fossil fuel. Electricity driving and hydrogen fuel cells are promising solutions, but are not largely commercialised yet. Furthermore, hydrogen fuel cells face several challenges which need to be overcome: reliability and life time of the fuel cell, distribution networks absence.MobyPost aims at implementing hydrogen and fuel cell technology at a middle level, based on an environmental respectful strategy, and including a significant experimentation which will enable to proof the viability of the technology and initiate its commercialisation in the field of market niches as material handling vehicles.MobyPost proposes to develop the concept of electric vehicles powered by fuel cells for delivery application and a local hydrogen production and associated refuelling apparatus from a renewable primary energy source, using industrial buildings to produce hydrogen by electrolysis, roofs of the buildings being covered of photovoltaic solar cells able to supply electrolysis.In contrast to most of the development strategies existing so far, MobyPost will implement low pressure solutions for hydrogen storage.The project will lay on experimentation of two fleets of five vehicles, on two different sites for postal mail delivery of La Poste. Development of vehicles and the two refuelling stations associated will be realized considering all certifications processes required in order to implement experimentation in real operating conditions, and taking in account very closely public acceptance towards solutions that will be implemented.