It's official: Stellantis abandons hydrogen

It's official: Stellantis is ending its development program for hydrogen fuel cell technology. The announcement, made on July 16, 2025, marks a radical shift in the automotive group's strategy. Despite the ambitions set out in the Dare Forward 2030 plan, hydrogen is no longer part of Stellantis' future. From now on, the future will be played out between thermal hybrids and 100 % electric vehicles.

Premature end to an ambitious program

In its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis was aiming to produce 10,000 hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles a year by 2024, with a hydrogen-powered pickup truck in its sights after 2025. The objective was clear: to offer a low-carbon alternative for professionals requiring extended range and fast recharging times.

The commercial launch of the Fiat Ducato Hydrogène, at the end of 2024, even hinted at the first concrete realization of these ambitions. But just a few months after its launch, the project came to an abrupt halt. Stellantis has cancelled the roll-out of the entire hydrogen-powered Pro One range, production of which was due to start this summer in Hordain (France) for medium-sized vans, and in Gliwice (Poland) for larger models.

Economic and structural reasons

The reasons are clear: lack of refuelling infrastructure, high investment costs and lack of medium-term profitability. For Jean-Philippe Imparato, CEO Europe of the Stellantis Group:

"The hydrogen market remains a niche segment, with no prospects of medium-term economic profitability. We need to make clear, responsible choices to guarantee our competitiveness."

Faced with the urgency of CO2 targets and competitive pressure, Stellantis favors proven technologies: electric for private vehicles and urban fleets, and hybrid combustion to combine autonomy and controlled costs.

Stellantis assures us that this decision will have no impact on the workforce at the sites concerned. R&D teams working on hydrogen will be reassigned to other projects.

In just a few months, the Fiat Ducato Hydrogène has gone from being a model of the future to the symbol of a failed technological gamble. The abandonment of a post-2025 hydrogen pickup confirms the extent of the turnaround. Despite the support of certain governments, the European hydrogen market is not taking off, and automakers are having to arbitrate between innovation and economic viability.