NTPC Ltd to start premium fuel cell electric bus services between Delhi and Jaipur and Delhi and Agra. Fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) services will be run in Delhi also, power and renewable energy minister R K Singh said.
"We are going to start these premium bus services with FCEVs,” the minister said at the launch of the Go Electric campaign. He did not, however, specify any time frame for the commencement of these services.
The move to launch this pilot project is to decarbonise the mobility segment. India is moving progressively to clean and green mobility in a bid to reduce its massive crude oil import and to mitigate climate change and local air pollution issues. FCEVs are powered by hydrogen and produce no tailpipe emissions as they emit only water vapour and warm air.
According to Singh, the long-distance heavy mobility must switch to FCEVs as there is no point in having these huge gas-guzzling trucks and buses. “Although it will be slightly expensive, to begin with, gradually prices will come down,” he added.
The government is also in considerations with the ministries of oil and gas, fertilizer and steel on the hydrogen mission to work out a bidding framework
"We will go for green hydrogen bids after 4-5 months. We already had discussions with the applicable ministries", Singh said.
He said if a minimum 10 percent green hydrogen obligation is imposed on steel and fertilizer units and oil refineries, the fuel cell would become competitive in three years.