India to launch its first hydrogen-powered car

New Delhi: India will launch its first Hydrogen based advanced Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle on Wednesday. The announcement was made by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, while participating in the WION Climate Summit on Tuesday.

This will be a first of its kind project in the country aimed at spreading awareness about Hydrogen.

“The car was made as a pilot project and kept at his residence,” he said.

In his address during the summit, Gadkari said that there was a need to find alternate options for fuels like petrol and diesel.

The cost of running a vehicle on petrol is Rs 10 per kilometre. On diesel, it is Rs 7 to 8. But for a vehicle running on electricity, the cost comes down to less than Rs 1, “he said.

In terms of the country’s electric vehicle future, he stated that there has been a 162 percent increase in electric vehicles and scooters in India, and that the government is focusing on more electric vehicles.

He drew attention to the fact that electric vehicles like tractors and trucks were already being manufactured in India. 

Gadkari also expressed hope that the manufacture of electric vehicles will get a boost in India and that customers will also opt to go electric in their choice of a personal vehicle. 

The automobile sector provides the maximum employment opportunities in the country. It also gives the maximum revenue to state and central governments. But at the same time, the sector is creating more problems related to air pollution, “he added.

Gadkari said that in five years, India will become the top manufacturing hub. 

The Minister stated that automakers have reduced CO2 emissions in a phased manner, highlighting the transportation sector’s carbon footprint.

According to think tank TERI, the road transport sector accounts for about 10 percent of India’s CO2 emissions, making it the second most carbon-emitting sector in the country.

As per India’s Biennial update report to the UNFCCC, the energy sector contributed 75 percent of the total CO2 emissions in 2016, of which the highest share was from electricity production (39.53%), followed by manufacturing industries and the construction sector, and 13 percent from the transport sector (9% for road transport).