The nation’s first green hydrogen-powered bus that emits only water was launched by India’s largest oil company, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), as it takes the lead in developing unmatched instruments to replace fossil fuels.
IOC will split water using electricity generated from renewable sources to make around 75 kg of hydrogen. Two buses that will do test runs across the national capital region will be powered by this hydrogen.
While flagging off the buses, the Oil Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, stated that hydrogen will be India’s transition fuel for moving away from fossil fuels. The Research and Development (R&D) Centre of the IOC at Faridabad is producing green hydrogen for the pilot run. Four cylinders with a capacity of 30 kg can run the buses for 350 km. It takes 10-12 minutes for the four tanks to fill.
Hydrogen, when burned, emits only water vapour as a by-product. With three times the energy density and the absence of harmful emissions, hydrogen shines as a cleaner, more efficient choice to meet the energy requirement. As many as 50 units of renewable electricity and 9 kg of deionized water are needed to produce one kilo of green hydrogen.
He further stated that by the end of 2023, the IOC will scale up the number of buses to 15. IOC will conduct operational tests with 15 green hydrogen-powered fuel cell buses on the designated routes in Delhi, Haryana, and UP.
Hardeep Singh Puri stated that the administration of the nation has ambitious goals for green and clean energy. Through the use of novel fuels like hydrogen and biofuels, India has made significant progress towards low-carbon development and will increase its share of the world’s energy consumption by 25% over the next two decades.
Following the introduction of the two buses, a total of more than 3 lakh kilometres will be travelled in order to evaluate the performance and long-term viability of the new technology. Achieving “One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency,” India has one of the largest synchronous networks in the world that can manage intermittent renewable energy.
He also mentioned that India will lead the world in hydrogen production and exports owing to low-cost solar energy, a synchronous grid, high demand, and engineering, and it is expected to become a centre for green hydrogen. In addition to this, he will be closely monitoring the project, expecting that this green hydrogen-powered bus is going to transform the face of city transport in the country.
