New Delhi: Test runs of green hydrogen fueled vehicles will start from April on 5 major routes of the country under the supervision of the central government. The test runs at least 60,000 km in 2 years. The experiment was conducted using a bus, a truck and a car.
The plan is to test the performance and economics of hydrogen vehicles on Indian roads. This test will determine the future of green hydrogen vehicles in the country.
The pilot project is being implemented by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune, under the Union Ministry of Transport. Bids are invited from Government/Private organizations to participate in the trial.
The Project Appraisal Committee (PAC) chaired by the Additional/Joint Secretary, Ministry of Transport will submit the evaluation report of the trial to the Center once in 3 months.
496 crores have been earmarked for viability gap funding as green hydrogen vehicles and associated facilities cost significantly. Companies participating in the trial must provide vehicles and drivers.
These are the test routes
∙ Chandigarh-Delhi-Jaipur
∙ Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Pune
∙ Chennai-Hosur-Bengaluru
∙ Kolkata-Jamshedpur-Ranchi
∙ Nagpur-Indore
What is green hydrogen?
Since it does not contain carbon, hydrogen is considered one of the main non-polluting fuel sources. Although hydrogen is 'clean', the current process of separating it is a huge carbon emitter. Green Hydrogen is to solve this.
Green hydrogen is extracted from water through a process called electrolysis using electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
Dr. Reggie Mathai
This pilot project is to study the challenges associated with using hydrogen vehicles on Indian roads. It also aims to impart knowledge to common people. Data from this can be used for future policy making. 5 routes have been fixed but will be increased if necessary after considering the opinion of the participating institutions.”
Dr. Reggie Matthai (Director, Automotive Research Association of India, Pune)