“Hydrogen has a bright future in the no-carbon world, providing we can produce it at a very competitive cost.” willing to produce more hydrogen vehicles, but the infrastructure is not there, the refuelling stations.” He says the mobility industry needs to find “the right leverage” to demonstrate the need for state investment to develop rural hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, since: “it will not come from private investment alone.” It’s back to the chicken and egg question. Even if investors see promising technologies, Pouyanné said, scale is necessary to underpin returns. To achieve that, everyone needs to be on board. “Policymakers, investors, innovators, entrepreneurs – all of them are fundamental – but we need to apply some powerful influence over customers,” he says. “They want clean energy, but they want it to be affordable. Governments may need to force An article featuring them to pay a little bit more, which will allow us to get the cost PATRICK POUYANNÉ down.” That’s how demand will be created, he insisted. “It is a clear call from me,” he told Ardian President Senequier. Chairman and CEO at TotalEnergies “Hydrogen will be a game changer, but will need this policymakers’ support.” 51