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INDIA’S FIRST HYDROGEN FUEL CELL (HFC) BUS

INDIA’S FIRST HYDROGEN FUEL CELL (HFC) BUS

Why in News?

Recently, the Union Minister of State of Science & Technology launched India’s first Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) Bus.

Highlights of this Innovation

• The HFC bus has been developed by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and KPIT, an Indian Multinational Corporation.
• The launch of this India’s first truly indigenously developed HFC Bus is in tune with the National Hydrogen Energy Mission.
• The fuel cell utilizes Hydrogen and Air to generate electricity to power the bus and the only effluent from the bus is water. Thus, making it possibly the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
• The high efficiency of fuel cell vehicles ensures lower operational costs per kilometre than diesel powered vehicles and can bring freight revolution in India.

Reason the Innovation

• This innovation is a part of Prime Minister’s Hydrogen Vision which will ensure self-reliant means of affordable and accessible clean energy, meeting climate change goals, and creating new entrepreneurs and jobs.
• Green hydrogen is an excellent clean energy vector that enables deep decarbonization of difficult-to-abate emissions from the heavy commercial transportation sector among others.
• 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. About 12-14% CO2 emissions and particulate emissions come from diesel powered heavy commercial vehicles (which are decentralised emissions and hence difficult to capture).
• Fuel Cell vehicles give zero green-house gas emissions. Moreover, their operational cost in rupees per kilometre is lower than diesel powered vehicles.
• By the means of such innovations, India can transition from being a net importer of fossil energy to becoming a net exporter of clean hydrogen energy.
• It will provide India a global leadership in hydrogen space by becoming a large green hydrogen producer and supplier of equipment for green hydrogen.

National Hydrogen Energy Mission

• The Union Budget for 2021-22 announced a National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHM) to draw up a road map for using hydrogen as an energy source.
• It will capitalise on one of the most abundant elements on earth (Hydrogen) for a cleaner alternative fuel option.
• The initiative has the potential of transforming transportation.
• The usage of hydrogen will not only help India in achieving its emission goals under the Paris Agreement, but will also reduce import dependency on fossil fuels.