What elhytec does

Elhytec is a French DeepTech company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, with an assembly workshop in Avignon. It develops hydrogen storage and generation modules, marketed under the ElhyGas brand, that produce hydrogen on-site and on demand using a patented process the company calls 'decoupled water electrolysis.' The process separates conventional water electrolysis into distinct steps — an electrolysis phase producing oxygen and acidified electrolyte, an intermediate ambient-pressure storage phase stable without self-discharge, and a catalytic hydrogen generation phase that does not require additional energy input. By decoupling production from consumption, the architecture avoids gaseous storage at volume or pressure, eliminates the need for a mechanical compressor for high-pressure delivery (claimed up to 16 bar in the standard version, scalable to 350 bar), and removes the simultaneous coexistence of H₂ and O₂, simplifying ATEX risk management. Two product variants exist — an electrical version (batch volume up to 4 m³ per cycle, 5 kW electrical power, 99.9% gas purity, 5-minute filling time for balloon applications) and a chemical version for off-grid or mobile deployments.

The business is hardware-sales oriented: Elhytec sells customized ElhyGas systems directly to B2B customers via phone, email, and website contact channels, with no public pricing and no disclosed distribution partners. Target use cases are organized into three families — decentralized hydrogen consumption for medium industry, hydrogenation, and balloon inflation; long-duration energy storage for backup power and isolated sites; and pressurized hydrogen access for critical missions including long-endurance drone refueling. The company's primary customer segments are niche industrial and operational buyers (e.g., meteorological launch sites, defense and scientific operators, isolated industrial sites) for whom conventional electrolysis-plus-compression chains are economically or logistically unsuitable.

Elhytec is led by President Patrick Paillere (doctorate in electrochemistry; previously CEO of subsidiaries at Péchiney and Areva), Deputy CEO Jean-Marc Brum (Polytechnique engineer with factory-direction and industrial-services experience), and business lead Patrick Bouchard (engineer with HEC executive education, former CEO of Helion, Metravib and Hevatech). The company has received the Solar Impulse Foundation label and the Bpifrance i-Lab innovation prize, both of which serve as third-party validation of its deeptech positioning. Funding to date appears limited to non-dilutive grants; no institutional venture rounds, named customers, or revenue figures are disclosed in the available source material.

Name

elhytec

Legal name

Elhytec

Website

https://elhytec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Elhytec is a French DeepTech company that develops ElhyGas hydrogen storage and generation modules based on a patented decoupled water electrolysis process, serving decentralized industrial hydrogen users, long-duration backup power operators, and critical mission drone operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Hydrogen Generation and Storage Equipment

SIC

Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydrogen Energy Storage & Power-to-X Equipment (electrolyzers, storage, fuel cell systems) (IMAGAHAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hydrogen Storage Materials & Solid-State Storage (Metal Hydrides, Adsorbents) (EUAFAEAG), Hydrogen Storage Safety, Monitoring & Integrity (Leak Detection, Sensors, Inspection) (EUAFAEAJ)

Keywords

• Hydrogen storage systems
• Decoupled water electrolysis
• On-site hydrogen generation
• Electrolyzer modules
• Decentralized hydrogen supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeneuve-lès-avignon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hydrogen Storage-Generation Modules: Sale of hardware systems (ElhyGas) for on-site hydrogen production and storage. Target applications include decentralized hydrogen consumption, energy storage for backup power, and pressurized hydrogen for critical missions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Elhytec designs and sells the ElhyGas hydrogen storage-generator module, a hardware system that produces hydrogen on-site and on demand using its patented decoupled water electrolysis process. The module eliminates the need for permanent gaseous hydrogen storage and mechanical compressors, offers delivery pressures up to 16 bar (scalable to 350 bar), and is available in electrical and chemical versions for industrial, energy-storage, defense, scientific, and meteorological applications.

Product overview

Elhytec offers a unified product portfolio centered on the ElhyGas hydrogen storage-generator module, based on the patented 'decoupled water electrolysis' technology. The ElhyGas product line includes electrical and chemical versions that produce hydrogen on-site on demand, targeting three application families: decentralized hydrogen consumption (for medium industry, hydrogenation, balloon inflation), energy storage for guaranteed power supply (backup, isolated sites), and pressurized hydrogen access for critical missions (long endurance drones). All products share the core decoupled electrolysis technology that eliminates the need for conventional electrolysis-compression-storage chains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ElhyGas: The ElhyGas storage-generator produces hydrogen on-site, on demand — without transport, without permanent gaseous storage, without supply disruption. Targets decentralized hydrogen consumption for medium industry, hydrogenation, balloon inflation applications.

Products and services

• ElhyGas A hydrogen storage and generation module based on patented decoupled electrolysis, producing hydrogen on-site on demand for industrial, energy-storage, defense, and scientific applications. Features independent sizing of electrical charging power, stored energy capacity, and discharge power, and is designed for decentralized hydrogen consumption.
• ElhyGas Electrical Version Standard electrical version of the ElhyGas storage-generator module, delivering up to 4 m³ of hydrogen per batch at up to 16 bar delivery pressure and 99.9% gas purity, designed for industrial and meteorological use cases with available electricity.
• ElhyGas Chemical Version Chemical version of the ElhyGas storage-generator module intended for sites without electrical supply, for use as backup during electrical failure, or for mobile deployment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy autonomy increase up to 4x compared to batteries for drone applications
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Enapter: Enapter designs and sells modular PEM electrolyzers targeted at decentralized, small-scale green hydrogen production. It is the closest direct peer to Elhytec's modular, on-site hydrogen generation value proposition, although it uses PEM rather than Elhytec's decoupled-electrolysis architecture.
• Sunfire: Sunfire manufactures alkaline and solid-oxide electrolyzers for industrial green hydrogen production. It is comparable as a European electrolyzer specialist targeting industrial-scale customers with differentiated electrochemistry.
• ITM Power: ITM Power is a UK-based PEM electrolyzer manufacturer serving industrial, mobility and power applications. It is a direct peer in hydrogen generation equipment and competes for similar B2B and infrastructure customers, though at a larger scale.
• McPhy Energy: McPhy is a French hydrogen company producing alkaline electrolyzers and hydrogen storage/refueling stations for industrial and mobility customers. It is a direct peer given shared French DeepTech roots, electrolyzer focus, and overlap with Elhytec's decentralized hydrogen and storage markets.
• HRS (Hydrogen Refueling Solutions): HRS designs and manufactures hydrogen generation, storage and refueling stations, mainly for mobility applications. It is comparable to Elhytec as a French hydrogen equipment specialist competing in decentralized and station-based hydrogen delivery, though at larger station scale.
• Hydrogène de France (HDF Energy): HDF Energy develops hydrogen-based energy storage and power solutions, including long-duration storage paired with renewables. It overlaps with Elhytec on long-duration, clean hydrogen-based energy storage for guaranteed power supply and isolated sites.

Broad incumbents

• Plug Power: Plug Power is an integrated hydrogen company spanning electrolyzers, fuel cells and hydrogen infrastructure. It competes with Elhytec on hydrogen generation and storage as part of a much broader product portfolio aimed at mobility and industrial customers.
• Nel ASA: Nel ASA is one of the largest alkaline and PEM electrolyzer manufacturers globally. It is a broad incumbent in Elhytec's space, offering overlapping hydrogen production and storage capabilities across a much wider industrial footprint.
• Thyssenkrupp nucera: Thyssenkrupp nucera is a large-scale electrolyzer manufacturer (alkaline and PEM) serving utility and industrial green hydrogen projects. It is a broad incumbent in hydrogen generation equipment, with overlap on the industrial hydrogen production use cases Elhytec addresses.
• Cummins Accelera: Cummins' Accelera segment develops hydrogen fuel cells and electrolyzer systems for industrial and mobility applications. It is a broad incumbent overlapping with Elhytec on hydrogen generation and energy storage offerings within a much larger diversified powertrain portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elhytec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about elhytec