India’s 1st Indigenously Developed Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Unveiled, Know Features and Highlights Here

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Unveiled: India’s 1st Indigenously Developed Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus was unveiled in Pune recently by MoS Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh on Sunday, 21st August 2022. The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus has been developed by KPIT-CSIR in Pune and is being termed the country’s first truly indigenously developed Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus. The development of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus comes as part of the country’s commitment to the use of clean and green energy for transportation to reduce its carbon footprint and positively contribute toward climate change action. The Indigenously Developed Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus has been developed as part of PM Modi’s visionary National Green Hydrogen Mission and Atmanirbhar Bharat mission.

VIDEO: Inspired by PM Sh @NarendraModi's National Green Hydrogen Mission, unveiled India's first indigenously developed Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus developed by KPIT-#CSIR at #Pune, supported by Union Ministry of Science & Technology. pic.twitter.com/pNtEj9h5xw

— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) August 21, 2022

How do Hydrogen Fuel Cells power Vehicles?

Unlike the traditional heavy vehicles i.e., Buses and Trucks, the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus uses Hydrogen and Air to produce electricity to power itself. The fuel cell employed in the Hydrogen Powered Bus would combine Hydrogen and Oxygen atoms to create electricity which can power the bus. The design of the hydrogen fuel cell allows hydrogen and oxygen gases to react in an electrochemical cell, which produces electricity as energy and water as its effluent with small amounts of heat.

Unlike traditional electrical vehicles, Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Powered Vehicles would not have to be recharged from time to time. Hydrogen Fuel Cells continue to produce electricity as long as they have hydrogen fuel available in supply. Therefore, hydrogen-powered vehicles are likely to resolve and overcome the challenges of range i.e., the number of km they can run, and the charging infrastructure that current electrical vehicles face.

Advantages of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus

Water as the only Effluent: The fuel cells used in the bus have been specially designed and developed by KPIT-CSIR in Pune, and instead of smoke or air pollution, the only effluent from the bus is water. This makes the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus possibly the most environment-friendly mode of transportation.

Reduced Carbon Footprint: On the flipside, a bus using the traditional fuel source of Diesel, which is mostly employed to ply on long routes would typically emit 100 tons of CO2 annually. With millions of buses being employed in the public transportation system, this creates a large carbon footprint. In comparison to this, a Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered Bus would be completely free of air pollution and instead will only produce water as its by-product.

Lower Operational Cost: The unique design of the hydrogen fuel cells developed by KPIT-CSIR makes them highly efficient. The high energy density of Hydrogen also reduces the overall operational cost per kilometre for heavy-duty vehicles including trucks and buses, in comparison to diesel-powered vehicles.

No Recharging Required: Unlike traditional electrical vehicles, which need to be recharged, Hydrogen-powered vehicles can continue to produce electricity as long as the supply of Hydrogen is available, giving it a longer range in comparison.

Refuelling in Minutes: With no recharging required, refuelling a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle can be done in minutes, similar to an internal combustion engine which uses traditional fuel sources of petrol and diesel.