PARIS: December 14, 2018. Akuo Energy, an independent renewables producer and Atawey, a manufacturer of hydrogen refuelling equipment, are to deploy 33 refuelling stations around Paris and other French cities for 400 hydrogen-powered vehicles operated by outdoor advertiser JCDecaux and retailer Galeries Lafayette.

Supported by a €7 million European Union subsidy under its ‘Last Mile’ initiative, the vehicles will reduce CO2 emissions by nearly 35,000 tonnes over the project’s 15-year life cycle.

Atawey develops decentralised hydrogen solutions on site from renewable electricity and will use its experience gained from installing 11 stations equipped with electrolysers and the first high-capacity station for the Zero Emission Valley project in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Jean-Charles Decaux, chairman of the JCDecaux Executive Board and Co-CEO declared: “Through Last Mile, JCDecaux is continuing to implement its innovation strategy that aims to facilitate sustainable urban mobility, and is broadening its field of action via a project that, in many respects, has the same characteristics as its self-service bikes that have revolutionised the way people get around in 70 cities around the world: decentralised infrastructures, dense network, affordable prices, ease of use and low environmental footprint.

“Alongside our partners, we are delighted to be a stakeholder in this wonderful project that will meet the expectations of a substantial number of urban areas,” he added.

Galeries Lafayette (pictured), which supplies its Paris flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann from warehouses around the capital, says it is partnering in Last Mile as part of a programme to only operate zero-emission vehicles for local distribution.