Bhubaneswar: Odisha will soon begin testing green hydrogen-powered buses as part of the central government’s National Green Hydrogen Mission.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has approved five pilot projects to test hydrogen vehicles across India. These include 37 vehicles (buses and trucks) and 9 hydrogen refueling stations. One of the trial routes will be from Bhubaneswar to Konark and Puri.
Other cities and routes involved in the trials are Greater Noida – Delhi – Agra, Ahmedabad – Vadodara – Surat, Sahibabad – Faridabad – Delhi, Pune – Mumbai, Jamshedpur – Kalinga Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram – Kochi, Kochi – Edappally, Jamnagar – Ahmedabad, and Visakhapatnam – Bayyavaram.
Companies such as TATA Motors, Reliance Industries, NTPC, Ashok Leyland, and major oil companies like HPCL, BPCL, and IOCL will lead these projects.
The Indian government will provide financial support of Rs. 208 crore for these projects. The trials are expected to begin within the next 18-24 months, marking the beginning of green hydrogen adoption in the country.
The primary goal of these pilot projects is to develop and test the use of hydrogen as a fuel in buses and trucks, while also setting up the necessary infrastructure, like hydrogen refueling stations.
These trials will help evaluate the performance, safety, and cost-effectiveness of hydrogen vehicles and refueling stations, with the aim of eventually expanding their use across the country.
