Peugeot presents fuel cell van e-Expert Hydrogen

After Opel presented the fuel cell version of its Vivaro van model called Vivaro-e Hydrogen a few days ago, Peugeot now presents its e-Expert Hydrogen. This takes over the technology and is thus also supposed to offer a range of over 400 km according to WLTP.

++ This article has been updated. Kindly continue reading below. ++

The e-Expert Hydrogen follows the battery-electric e-Expert that Peugeot introduced last year. The fuel cell variant will now be offered initially to professional customers in France and Germany from the end of 2021. Production of the vehicles will take place in Valenciennes, France, before the electric vans are then converted in Rüsselsheim in Germany. It is no coincidence that the sister model Vivaro-e Hydrogen is also produced at Opel’s headquarters. Also located there is the parent company Stellantis’ global ‘Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Competence Centre’.

The technical features of the new Peugeot van are quickly listed. They correspond one-to-one to the data sheet of the recently presented fuel cell Vivaro-e. The model comes in M and L lengths (4.96 and 5.30 metres) and has a hydrogen fuel cell drive with an externally chargeable battery on board. It combines the familar 100 kW drive of the Stellantis Group with a 45 kW fuel cell from Symbio and a high-voltage storage unit with an energy content of 10.5 kWh. Tanks for storing up to 4.4 kilograms of hydrogen are installed in the underbody of the van.

While the fuel cell provides continuous power, the battery switches on when more power is needed for a short time, such as during acceleration. With 10.5 kWh, it is more than just a small buffer battery. As already mentioned for the FC Vivaro, the battery can also be charged by cable – at 11 kW in 60 minutes – unlike most FCEVs. The battery itself is installed under the front seats and is familiar from plug-in hybrid models.

The e-Expert Hydrogen also offers identical values for its body. The small version has a load volume of 5.3 cubic metres, the large version 6.1 cubic metres. Peugeot gives a payload of up to 1,100 kilograms and a towing capacity of 1,000 kilograms. The latter information was missing when the Opel counterpart was presented a few days ago.

The French company has not yet announced prices for the e-Expert Hydrogen yet. Peugeot is already publicising the fact that there will be only one equipment variant “to simplify the offer and the choice”. Features of the van include two individual seats in the cabin, two sliding doors, 17-inch wheels, an electric parking brake with hill-start assist, manual air conditioning, a 180° reversing camera and a 7-inch central display with the Peugeot Connect operating system including TomTom navigation, Bluetooth and mirror screen compatibility including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The hydrogen fuel filler flap is located on the left rear wing, the cargo door on the left front wing.

Peugeot describes the fuel cell van as an “answer [to] the expectations and needs of professional customers as well as numerous urban communities concerned with preserving the quality of life of their inhabitants”.

Update 15 December 2021

After the start of production for the Opel Vivaro-e Hydrogen and Citroën ë-Jumpy Hydrogen, production of the Peugeot e-Expert Hydrogen has now also begun. The first customer to be supplied before the turn of the year is Michelin subsidiary Watea.

“With the e-EXPERT Hydrogen, Peugeot is taking the lead in a future zero-emission technology that is particularly relevant to the light commercial vehicle market: hydrogen electric technology allows intensive daily use without the need for recharging, a decisive advantage for professionals who, in a single day, have to cover several hundred kilometres on the motorway and then enter emission-restricted urban areas,” said Linda Jackson, CEO of Peugeot, adding: “The hydrogen technology developed by Stellantis and implemented in our PEUGEOT e-Expert Hydrogen makes such uses possible.”

With reporting by Cora Werwitzke, France.

peugeot.com, stellantis.com (update)