Stellantis has entered into talks with the French suppliers Faurecia and Michelin to purchase a “substantial” stake of their Symbio three way partnership, a gasoline cell system maker for hydrogen mobility, the three firms stated.

Stellantis launched hydrogen-powered midsize vans final 12 months from the Citroen, Peugeot and Opel manufacturers in a collaboration with Symbio. It goals to broaden its hydrogen supply to giant vans in Europe in 2024 and within the U.S. in 2025, “whereas additional exploring alternatives for heavy-duty vehicles.”

Automakers and suppliers consider that hydrogen gasoline cell techniques will take maintain first within the business car market as a result of there are few filling stations for personal automobiles. In distinction, a fleet operator may set up hydrogen stations at its depots, and the automobiles might be refueled on the finish of the day.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares stated in a press release on Friday that Symbio’s technical roadmap “completely” matched with the automaker’s hydrogen rollout plans in Europe and within the U.S.

“This transfer will foster the pace of improvement to deliver low-emission merchandise to our clients, past conventional electrical automobiles,” he stated within the assertion.

Stellantis entry “will speed up and globalize Symbio’s development,” Faurecia CEO Patrick Koller stated.

Earlier this 12 months Symbio introduced its HyMotive mission to speed up its industrialization, with a plan to extend complete manufacturing capability in France to 100,000 techniques a 12 months by 2028 whereas producing 1,000 extra jobs.

The transaction, for which no monetary particulars have been offered, is anticipated to be finalized within the first half of subsequent 12 months, the three firms stated within the assertion.

Symbio was based in 2019. PSA Group, which merged with Fiat Chrysler to type Stellantis, had an oblique stake in Symbio by way of its controlling stake in Faurecia. That stake was liquidated earlier than the merger was finalized in January 2021.

Reuters contributed to this report