India's first indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cell bus unveiled in Pune

The country's first hydrogen fuel cell bus developed by KPIT-CSIR in Pune has been unveiled by the Union Minister of State, Jitendra Singh, as per the Ministry of Science and Technology. The minister addressed the gathering saying that this initiative is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Hydrogen Vision' and is important for India to ensure Atma Nirbhar means of affordable and accessible clean energy, meeting climate change goals, and creating new entrepreneurs and jobs.

Elaborating on the benefits of green hydrogen, the minister said that it is an excellent clean energy vector that enables deep decarbonization of difficult-to-abate emissions from the refining industry, fertiliser industry, steel industry, cement industry and also from the heavy commercial transportation sector.

The fuel cell technology makes use of hydrogen and air to generate electricity to power the bus and the only effluent from the bus is water, therefore making it possibly the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation. Compared to this, a single diesel bus plying on long-distance routes typically emits 100 tons of carbon dioxide annually and there are over a million such buses in the country.

The minister said 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 to India.

Singh pointed out that about 12-14 per cent of CO2 emissions and particulate emissions come from diesel-powered heavy commercial vehicles and these are decentralised emissions and hence difficult to capture.

(with inputs from ANI)

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