Hopium Separates from Jean-Baptiste Djebbari
This page is translated from the original post "Hopium se sépare de Jean-Baptiste Djebbari" in French.
- 16/03/2023 11:10
The former Transport Minister’s tenure at Hopium lasted less than a year.
Jean-Baptiste Djebbari leaves the presidency of Hopium less than a year after taking office. He is succeeded by Alain Guillou, former CEO of Naval Group. The latter arrives in a rather challenging context for the French start-up. Confronted with economic difficulties, Hopium has had to revise its ambitions downward and has had to let go of some of its staff. The young manufacturer has nonetheless received support from the Normandy region, where its first factory is to be built. The local authority has granted it a €2 million aid package, in the form of an interest-free loan repayable after 18 months.
“The Board of Directors thanked Jean-Baptiste Djebbari for his involvement and energy, which helped increase Hopium’s national and international visibility and laid the groundwork for transforming the company from a start-up into an industrial enterprise,” Hopium said in its press release.
For his part, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari states that he is the one who initiated his departure. The former minister explained to AFP that he wanted to fully dedicate himself to new projects, which he would unveil “in the coming days or weeks.”
Hopium remains confident about the future
Despite adverse winds, Hopium does not give up and aims for profitability within four years. The company still plans to launch the Machina, a powerful hydrogen sedan expected around 2025. To diversify its activities, Hopium now hopes to sell its technology to B2B clients. It is in this spirit that Hopium Technologies was created. This new entity coexists with Hopium Automotive, the branch responsible for the commercialization of the Machina.
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