Made In India: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Unveiled in Pune

NEW DELHI: In a bid to push India for an "atmanirbhar" (self-reliant) on clean energy, meet climate change goals, and create employment in the sector, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh unveiled the first indigenous Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus.

Developed by KPIT-CSIR in Pune, the fuel cell utilises Hydrogen and Air to generate electricity to power the bus, and the only effluent from the bus is water.

Notably, for comparison, a single diesel bus plying on long-distance routes typically emits 100 tons of CO2 annually and there are over a million such buses in India, the release added.

The operational cost of hydrogen fuel cell trucks is lower than the ones run on diesel and this could bring about a freight revolution in the country, Jitendra Singh said.

"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," he added.

The Minister lauded the joint development efforts of KPIT and CSIR-NCL and pointed out that the technology prowess of Indian scientists and engineers is no less than the best in the world and at much lower costs.

What is a hydrogen fuel cell?

According to the US Department of Energy, fuel cells work in a similar manner to conventional batteries found in electric vehicles but they do not run out of charge and don't need to be recharged with electricity. They continue to produce electricity as long as there is a supply of hydrogen. Just like conventional cells, a fuel cell consists of an anode (negative electrode) and cathode (positive electrode) sandwiched around an electrolyte.

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