Hydrogen to Fuel Vehicles at Paris 2024 Olympics
Air Liquide has been named an Official Supporter in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in an effort to reduce carbon emissions.
Through the partnership, the Group will supply green hydrogen produced through water electrolysis or biomethane to power hundreds of vehicles in Paris 2024’s official fleet.
The official vehicle of Paris 2024, the Toyota Mirai, will be filled with hydrogen from renewable and traceable origin and used to transport athletes and officials.
The fleet will remain in continuous use throughout the games, making it a prime candidate to decarbonise and consequently promote Paris 2024’s ambition to “organise a more sustainable Games”.
Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, expressed thanks to Air Liquide for their involvement in the Games.
He said: “To ensure that we achieve our goal of making these Games more sustainable in response to climate change, we’ve rethought all the major features of the Games.
“By supplying hydrogen of renewable origin for the vehicles for athletes and officials, Air Liquide will help us reduce the carbon footprint of the Games.”
This partnership isn’t the Group’s first foray into decarbonising the Olympics, having previously supplied hydrogen equipment to refuel a fleet of hydrogen-powered buses for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The Games could prove a catalyst for change in the transport sector
François Jackow, Chief Executive Officer of the Air Liquide Group, suggested that their partnership in the games could be the beginning of a more wide-spread adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
He explained: “Air Liquide and Paris 2024 share the same ambition: implementing concrete solutions to meet the challenge of climate change. That’s what our partnership is all about.
“Beyond the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, this partnership will accelerate the wide-scale adoption of hydrogen to decarbonize heavy and intensive transport, including taxis.
François concluded: “The challenge is huge, and it is only by working together that we will succeed!”
The Group have previously worked with Toyota France, when they offered free public hydrogen shuttles around Paris during Nuit Blanche in September last year.
As transport currently accounts for a quarter (24%) of global CO2 emissions, Air Liquide argues that renewable hydrogen could provide a solution to the climate emergency due to its ‘great range and minimal charging times for heavy and intensive transport’.
With over 60 years of experience, the Group has committed to developing a total installed electrolysis capacity of 3 gigawatts by 2030.
