Plastic Omnium to supply its full line-up of hydrogen products to Safra, France’s leading manufacturer of hydrogen-powered buses

Plastic Omnium will supply Safra with type IV high-pressure hydrogen vessels for its new fleet of Hycity hydrogen buses destined for urban public transportation. The buses will feature the latest hydrogen technologies and will be fitted with six vessels to provide a minimum range of 350 kilometers.
Safra has won Europe’s largest ever contract for coach retrofits, to convert diesel coaches to hydrogen. The order placed by the Occitanie region in France highlights Safra’s pioneering role as designer of the first complete kit for coach retrofits: H2-pack®. Safra has therefore entered a long-term industrial partnership with Plastic Omnium, which will supply hydrogen vessels in addition to the fuel cell systems at the heart of hydrogen powertrain.

Plastic Omnium will be able to leverage its existing production capacities as well as offer Safra support for product launches by providing the technical assistance needed for after-sales back-up and maintenance services.

“This partnership with Safra is an important stage in our growth strategy and a proof of Plastic Omnium’s excellent positioning in the market, with its comprehensive, competitive and industrialized range of solutions for hydrogen mobility,” says Marc Perraudin, CEO of Plastic Omnium New Energies.
Stéphane Prin, CEO of Safra, adds: “We are determined to develop powerful long-term industrial partnerships to support the emergence of the hydrogen mobility industry. By teaming up with Plastic Omnium, the leader in sustainable and connected mobility, Safra is consolidating its strategy for accelerating the shift to decarbonized mobility.”

Plastic Omnium is confident that hydrogen will play a major role in the clean mobility of the future. The Group has invested more than €300 million since 2015 to increase its expertise and industrial footprint across the entire hydrogen value chain. Leading the way in this technology, Plastic Omnium plans to invest of €100 million each year in average to reach €300 million sales by 2025 and €3 billion sales by 2030.

Safra pivoted to a focus on decarbonized mobility as early as 2010, specifically hydrogen technology, which is a perfect fit for the heavy transport sector and therefore for passenger transportation. Anticipating strong demand on the market, Safra increased its capital in 2021, and brought in investment funds managed by Aqua Asset Management, a specialist in investment financing for the ecological transition. This growth will enable the company to create 400 additional jobs and boost its production capacity to over 200 vehicles a year by 2025.