India’s first Intracity Hydrogen Buses to start Operation in Leh

India’s first hydrogen powered buses meant for public transport will start its trial run in Leh, Ladakh soon .The first  hydrogen bus has reached Leh on 17th  August 2023 and it will undergo a three month long trial before it is open to the public.This will be India’s first ever deployment of hydrogen buses on public roads.

The hydrogen powered buses powered by hydrogen Fuel Cell are part of the NTPC green mobility project in Ladakh. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 30, 2022. A total of five buses are to be deployed on the roads of Leh.

How does the Hydrogen  fuel cell work ?

The Hydrogen fuel cell is environment friendly and it does not emit any  greenhouse gasses .  The hydrogen fuel cell uses hydrogen and air to generate electricity . The combination of air and hydrogen will produce water as a by-product which will be released  through the Bus exhaust. 

The Government of India is encouraging the use of environment friendly fuels for transportation purposes so as to achieve a zero net carbon emission  target by 2070.

Amara Raja is setting up India’s first green hydrogen fuelling station

The  hydrogen fuel cell for the buses will be provided by Amar Raja company. It is setting up India’s first green hydrogen fuelling station in Leh. 

According to the company, green hydrogen will be produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, using an electrolysis process powered by electricity generated by renewable energy sources.

The pilot project will produce a minimum of 80kg/day of 99.97 percent pure hydrogen which will be compressed, stored and dispensed.

Other Hydrogen fuel  project in India:

• India's first hydrogen fuel cell bus developed by the CSIR-NCL( Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- National Chemical Laboratories ) Pune and private firm KPIT Limited  was  unveiled on 21 August 2022 in Pune. 

• India’s First India's first green hydrogen-based advanced fuel cell electric vehicle was launched by Toyota Kirloskar Motor ltd called Toyata Mirai.