The first hydrogen fuel cell bus made in India by KPIT-CSIR in Pune was unveiled by Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, and the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy, and Space.
Later, Dr. Jitendra Singh stated that India needs to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hydrogen vision in order to ensure Atma Nirbharta, which entails providing affordable and accessible clean energy, achieving climate change targets, and fostering new businesses and employment opportunities. He was addressing a crowded lecture hall of academics, researchers, and students at the esteemed CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory in this location.
According to Singh, green hydrogen enables a significant decrease in carbon emissions from heavy commercial vehicles as well as the steel, cement, fertilizers, and refining industries. India may transition from being a net importer of fossil fuels to a net exporter of clean hydrogen energy, providing global leadership in the hydrogen industry, by becoming a big producer of green hydrogen and a provider of green hydrogen equipment.
He further added that the fuel cell powers the bus by producing energy using hydrogen and air. The bus is one of the greenest forms of transportation because the fuel cell’s only waste is water. In India, there are around a million diesel buses traveling long distances, and each one produces an average of 100 tonnes of CO2 annually.
He remarked that Indian scientists and engineers are among the best in the world when it comes to technology, and they do it at far lower costs. He applauded the collaborative development efforts of KPIT and CSIR-NCL.
The minister pointed out that it is difficult to capture 12–14% of the CO2 and particle emissions from large commercial diesel cars because they are distributed throughout the country. He continued by saying that vehicles powered by hydrogen present a fantastic method to entirely eliminate the sector’s on-road pollution.
He added that India wants to enhance the number of inland rivers for shipping goods and people.
