Hydrogen fuel bus service to start on Delhi-Jaipur route by NTPC

Green mobility is taking the fast lane in the country; apart from establishing a complete EV supporting infra, the Indian government is now also planning more options towards alternative fuels in order to reduce dependence on traditional fuels. While electric cars and taxis are been promoted heavily by the government, it is now also conducting a feasibility study on hydrogen fuel buses.

India's largest energy conglomerate, NTPC Limited (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) is planning to start a premium hydrogen fuel bus service on Delhi to Jaipur route. For the record, it is going to be the first FCEV bus service in India to be used for intercity commute. However, no specific timeline has been provided for when the service would be started. Previously, similar bus services were seen testing in metro cities like Mumbai.

The new service is going to be a pilot project to test the viability of fuel cell buses for the intercity commute. It will also help to analyse the affordability quotient of fuel cell buses against the conventional ICE bus service.

"We are planning to start premium hydrogen fuel bus service from Delhi to Jaipur and gradually we'll also try experimenting running electric bus on the same route," said Power Minister, R.K.Singh at the launch of the 'Go Electric' campaign in Delhi on Friday.

At the same event, the announcement of an all-new electric tractor was made by the Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari. "I'll be launching an electric tractor in the next 15 days," Gadkari said at the launch of the 'Go Electric' Campaign on Friday. Moreover, the government is also trying to procure 40,000 battery-powered buses in Maharashtra for intracity commute.