The first green hydrogen-powered buses are introduced in Delhi

15 more to be added soon...

NEW DELHI: On Monday, oil minister Hardeep Singh Puri flagged off the trial run of two hydrogen buses that the nation's largest oil refiner and fuel retailer IndianOil Corporation had purchased from Tata Motors. This was Delhi's first glimpse into a future where the city's public transportation will be completely emission-free.

At the moment of flagging off the buses that will first operate in the national capital region without passengers, Puri stated that the fleet size would expand to 15 by the end of the year. Routes in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have also been chosen to carry hydrogen buses once the fleet size increases, in addition to Delhi.

A modest green hydrogen facility constructed for the testing at IndianOil's R&D site in Faridabad will provide fuel for the two buses. By electrolyzing water with electricity generated from renewable sources, the facility will produce 75 kg of green hydrogen.

Fuel cells with polymer electrolyte membranes are used to power the buses. They can be refilled in 10–12 minutes, which is comparable to the time it takes for gasoline or diesel cars, and have four tanks with a combined capacity of 30 kg. Four fully fueled hydrogen tanks, according to senior IndianOil executives, would provide a 350 km range.

One of the key components in the worldwide decarbonization process is hydrogen, particularly green hydrogen, which has been identified the "fuel of the future". Using hydrogen in fuel cells causes it to release water vapor, which explains why. In an effort to further enhance combustion and emissions, IndianOil has also undertaken a trial project in which buses were powered by H-CNG, or CNG that has been mixed with hydrogen that has been produced from natural gas.

"The ambitions our administration has for green and renewable energy are big. Through the use of novel fuels like hydrogen and biofuels, India has made significant progress toward low-carbon development and, according to Puri, will be responsible for 25% of the increase in global energy demand over the next 20 years.

For the creation of one kilogram of green hydrogen, approximately 50 renewable energy units and 9 kilograms of deionized water are required.