The Auvergne-Rhône group Green Corp Konnection (GCK) confirms its growth trajectory and rapid development for the year 2022. A few days after receiving a historic order from hydrogen-powered groomers and buses through the L'Alpe d'Huez station, GCK announces an agreement with the company Ginhoux for the largest delivery in France of hydrogen retrofitted coaches for public and interurban transport.
Established in the Ardèche since 1830, the company Ginhoux is the oldest French public transport company. Today, it operates lines serving inter-city mobility, both in terms of school transport, with 6,000 pupils a day, and in terms of passenger transport. As a pioneer of tomorrow's mobility, the company is perpetuating its tradition as a forerunner with this first order of retrofitted coaches.
This landmark contract will see GCK initially convert an IvecoBus Crossway coach from Ginhoux's existing fleet. The combustion engine will be removed in favour of the installation of a 295kW electric motor powered by a fuel cell with a maximum output of 150kW. With 50kg of hydrogen at 700 bars, the vehicle will have a range of 500km.
Assembled in GCK's new 2,500 m² factory in Auvergne and tested on the legendary Charade circuit, the vehicle will be presented in autumn 2022. Its commercial launch is scheduled for September 2023 after it has been approved to UTAC standards and tested for more than 5,000 km. The following hydrogen-powered retrofit coaches are scheduled to be produced from January 2024 and are part of the implementation of hydrogen stations in the Ardèche.
The conviction of GCK and Ginhoux is simple: the deployment of hydrogen mobility in France will require the development of sustainable and complete ecosystems, through production sites and supply stations enabling these vehicles to be powered throughout the country.
For Eric BoudotGeneral Manager of GCK:« The year that is beginning for GCK holds all its promises! GCK is proud to benefit from the expertise and solidity of a historical player in the transport sector such as Ginhoux coaches. We are receiving historic orders because our know-how in zero-carbon mobility is recognised by public authorities and transport operators. I am convinced that nothing can be done without the boldness of private operators, who are committing themselves to hydrogen and taking the entire value chain with them. »
For Bruno GinhouxChairman and CEO of Autocars Ginhoux: "Our company is increasingly concerned about the environment, regulatory changes and all the new issues that accompany them. Over the years, we have acquired experience which are the strengths of Ginhoux transport in this approach. The deployment of hydrogen mobility from a retrofitted vehicle requires the validation of a large number of points concerning the safety of the passengers transported and the reliability of the process; this is why we have placed our trust in the professionalism and motivation of GCK to successfully develop this project. Our technical staff dedicated to this project (Mr Bruno Moulin and Mr Richard Maurel) will support the GCK engineers in validating all the operations, in particular the dynamic tests (more than 5,000 kms) during 2022. A 30-point safety label will also be introduced.
Press contact GCK
Louis de Cacqueray
+33(0)6 73 11 56 53 / presse.gck@taddeo.fr