Guwahati: India received its first hydrogen fuel cell bus as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative on Sunday, making significant progress toward the country’s climate change targets.
KPIT Limited and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have jointly developed the hydrogen fuel cell-powered bus.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh showcased the bus at an event in Pune.
According to reports, the fuel cell uses hydrogen and air to produce electricity that drives the bus while also discharging water as waste.
It is one of the most environmentally beneficial modes of transportation as a result. Comparatively speaking, a single long-distance diesel bus generates 100 tonnes of CO2 every year, and India has over a million of these buses.
However, a fuel cell car also produces no greenhouse gas emissions.
In his remarks, Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, emphasised the significance of the hydrogen vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for achieving Atmanirbhar Bharat through the use of readily available and inexpensive clean energy.
He said that this will help the nation reach its goals for combating climate change while also fostering new businesses and jobs.
Singh said, “Green hydrogen is an excellent clean energy vector that enables deep decarbonisation of difficult-to-abate emissions from the refining industry, fertiliser industry, steel industry, cement industry and also from the heavy commercial transportation sector.”
It should be noted that a hydrogen fuel cell truck has lower operating costs than a diesel truck, suggesting the possibility of a national revolution in freight.
The union minister added, “About 12-14 per cent of CO2 emissions come from diesel powered heavy vehicles. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles provide excellent means to eliminate on-road emissions in this sector,”