India unveils its first indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cell bus

Pune: In a bid to promote the clean fuel in the country, Union minister of state for science and technology Dr Jitendra Singh unveiled India’s first indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cell bus in Pune.

The hydrogen fuel cell technology has been developed by KPIT in collaboration with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) and Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI).

Calling the ,”Green hydrogen is an excellent clean energy vector” he said it enables deep decarbonisation of difficult-to-abate emissions from the refining, fertiliser, steel, cement industries and also from the heavy commercial transportation sector.”

Dr Singh pointed out that about 12-14% of carbon dioxide emissions and particulate emissions come from diesel-powered heavy commercial vehicles and these are decentralised emissions and hence difficult to capture.

Dr Singh said, “Hydrogen fuelled vehicles provide an excellent means to eliminate the on-road emissions from this sector.”

He also lauded the Prime Minister’s Hydrogen Vision in ensuring Atma Nirbhar means of affordable and accessible clean energy, meeting climate change goals, and creating new entrepreneurs and jobs

“The high efficiency of fuel cell vehicles and the high energy density of hydrogen ensures that the operational costs in rupees per kilometre for fuel cell trucks and buses are lower than diesel-powered vehicles and this can bring freight revolution in India. Moreover, fuel cell vehicles also give zero greenhouse gas emissions,” said Singh.