Hydrogen power hits the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

Ahead of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, Air Liquide has deployed a hydrogen refuelling station to support the official hydrogen-powered fleet.

Located at Place de l’Alma in the city centre, the station will enable refuelling times of about five minutes for a range of up to 650km.

The event’s official fleet includes 500 hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai cars. Both Toyota and Air Liquide have previously partnered to showcase hydrogen mobility during Nuit Blanche, offering free public hydrogen shuttles around Paris.

The station received funding from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership as part of the H2ME2 programme. The public-private partnership is supported by the EU Horizon’s 2020 research and innovation programme, Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research.

Armelle Levieux, a Member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee overseeing hydrogen activities, said, “Paris 2024 represents a fantastic opportunity to accelerate the development and the adoption of hydrogen.”

Earlier this year (2024), Air Liquide and TotalEnergies launched their equally owned hydrogen refuelling business, TEAL Mobility.

The new business aims to establish a network of 100 hydrogen refuelling stations to support the acceleration of hydrogen heavy-duty trucks. The stations will be under the TotalEnergies brand, with an interim target of operating around 20 stations in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany from 2024.