French zero-emission mobility platform Hype will launch a taxi service in Brussels "in the coming days".
Hype, a French taxi company, will bring its hydrogen-powered taxis to Brussels. This is part of an ambitious expansion for the company in Europe, with plans to have 2024 hydrogen taxis by 1.500, the year of the Paris Olympics. The move to Brussels is a natural evolution in Hype's strategy, as the Belgian capital wants to be CO2050 neutral by 2.
The company, which was founded by Mathieu Gardies in Paris in 2015, recently acquired a stake in Mol-Tax, a local taxi company in Brussels. This partnership will allow Hype to gain direct access to the market in the Belgian capital and at the same time install its green hydrogen stations there.
In the context of stricter regulations, whereby all new taxis in Brussels must be emission-free from 2025, the choice for hydrogen is a logical one. The city's existing taxi operators, including D'Ieteren's Taxis Verts and Colruyt's Virya Energy, have already launched a hydrogen taxi pilot project, which foreshadowed this new development. These companies started deploying the first hydrogen taxi in Brussels in September 2022.
Furthermore, Hype's effort is supported by European subsidies; the company recently received 18 million euros for the rollout of its network. This money will be used, among other things, for the installation of hydrogen stations and the development of new vehicles in collaboration with Stellantis, including a hybrid version of the Peugeot e-Expert and Citroën ë-Jumpy. In addition, the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo will also become part of the fleet in Brussels.
One of the challenges Hype will have to face is convincing taxi drivers in Brussels to switch to hydrogen taxis. The company is planning a series of incentives for this, including packages that include not only the cars themselves, but also access to the charging stations and use of the Hypp application. All this should contribute to a seamless transition to cleaner mobility options.
The exact number of cars that Hype will roll out in Brussels is not yet known, but given the support of the European Union and local regulations, the company seems well positioned to become a key player in the future of zero-emission transport in the capital. This project shows the growing trend of hydrogen energy in urban mobility and how it can contribute to the sustainability goals of European cities.
