JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Following South Africa’s Northam Platinum reporting earlier this year that thousands of hydrogen-powered trucks are doing the rounds in China, France’s Lhyfe added on Monday, May 4 that by the end of 2025, China had already built the world's largest hydrogen vehicle systems, with nearly 40 000 fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and 574 refuelling stations.


Moreover, China's new hydrogen programme sets a target of 100 000 FCEVs by 2030.

Lowering costs is a central goal of China's new programme, which sets a target of cutting end-user hydrogen prices from $4.80/kg to below $3.50/kg by 2030. In advantageous regions with high renewable-energy potential, the target is $2.10.

Throughout December 2025, Chinese manufacturers, logistics operators, and regional governments delivered 700 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks and buses across multiple provinces and ordered 1 400 additional units, backed by expanding refuelling infrastructure and dedicated freight corridors, Lhyfe reported.

Emphasised during the Lhyfe media briefing covered by Mining Weekly is the growing global awareness of the need for independent energy, which is what hydrogen can provide.

"In Sweden, we have a market that is really bullish on the steel industry, and we have customers there in the steel industry. There's a big push from truck manufacturers and in the southern part of Sweden, there is investment in refuelling stations,” Lhyfe founder and CEO Matthieu Guesné reported.

In China, the same strategy used for solar panels and batteries is being applied to hydrogen. “If there's no reaction in Europe, the Chinese will be the hydrogen champions, and we’ll have cars that will run on Chinese fuel cells. They’re really plain, transparent and clear about their intention,” Guesné added.

China uses its own market to scale up and lower costs.

Lhyfe constructs and operates green hydrogen production plants in the EU, the green hydrogen being produced from wind, solar or hydropower that is then stored in cells.

Displayed was a picture of taxis in Paris being refuelled with green hydrogen delivered to the refuelling station by Lhyfe, which also provides the hydrogen for fast-feeding into trucks, buses and everything with high payload.

Cars refuelled in five minutes can do 650 km to 700 km and hydrogen as a clean fuel is becoming increasingly price competitive.

There has for long been a belief that South Africa’s large fleet of Toyota taxis should be supplied with hydrogen in the same way.

Lhyfe is also delivering to industrial customers who manufacture products such as glue, paint, and other materials.

“We deliver, for example, to the steel industry in Sweden,” he reported. Lhyfe's projects include a 100 MW site in France and a 10 MW site in Sweden, with plans to expand to 100 MW sites. The company has invested €40-million in trailers for hydrogen transport and delivered 850 trailers last year. Guesné highlighted the importance of clear regulations for market growth. Lhyfe's strategy includes partnering with infrastructure and industrial partners for project development.

“Most of the world’s car and trucks manufacturers believe in hydrogen . . . and more than half of the OEMs, they have plan for hydrogen.

“For the first time, the world has a smart way of using energy – not burning things but having a chemical reaction that is two to three times more efficient and that’s silent,” Guesné explained.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Meanwhile, there are six days to go before the call for proposals by the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) sustainable energy fund for Africa closes.

The application window closes on May 11 and the proposals fall under the bank’s new green hydrogen programme that is seeking to support green hydrogen and derivatives projects across Africa.

"Green hydrogen represents a real opportunity for Africa, both to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries and to build new value chains, while contributing to socio-economic development," AfDB renewable energy and energy efficiency department director Daniel Schroth has pointed out.

Three to five projects will receive up to $20-million of pre-investment financing. This will be provided through reimbursable grants, for advisory services to help progress towards final investment decision or financial close.

The green hydrogen programme has been initially capitalised with funding from the German government. It is designed to contribute to the transition of projects from development to bankability.

Last year, the bank approved a $10-million loan to support the development of Hyphen Hydrogen Energy's green ammonia project, in Namibia.

In the US, the Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association reported in a release to Mining Weekly that the Department of Energy will preserve nearly $5-billion in funding for five hydrogen hubs across the country.

In Austria, Lhyfe has signed a multi-year contract with BMW to supply green hydrogen to the German manufacturer’s site in Steyr.

The facility is responsible for the series development and industrialisation of BMW's hydrogen fuel cell system that uses proton exchange membrane fuel cells, which are catalysed by platinum group metals.

Under the agreement, Lhyfe will begin delivering green hydrogen to the Steyr site using its hydrogen transport fleet, described as one of the most comprehensive in Europe. These will be the company’s first deliveries in Austria.

The Steyr site is preparing for the mass production of fuel cell systems for the new BMW X5 model. BMW Group’s third-generation hydrogen propulsion system is scheduled for production at the site from 2028.

Previous development phases and prototype generations of this system were carried out in Munich. The latest iteration is designed to be more compact, more powerful and more efficient, improving vehicle range and performance while reducing energy consumption.

The green hydrogen supplied by Lhyfe will be used for series development, industrialisation, testing and validation activities at the Austrian facility.

BMW highlights hydrogen as a complementary solution to battery-electric mobility, particularly for intensive-use applications requiring long range and fast refuelling, such as sports-utility vehicles, taxis, vans, forklift trucks and lorries, as well as in regions where electricity grids may face constraints in supporting large-scale electrification.

Lhyfe, which has been active as a producer and supplier of green hydrogen in Europe since 2021, operates one of the largest bulk hydrogen transport fleets in the EU and completed more than 850 deliveries across Europe in 2025.

It currently operates four production sites in France and Germany, with a combined production capacity of up to 8.5 t of green hydrogen per day. Two additional production sites in France are planned to be commissioned by the end of the year.

All of Lhyfe’s operating sites are certified, ensuring compliance with European renewable-energy requirements. Its infrastructure allows it to supply green hydrogen across Europe.