New Delhi, March 04 (HS): Tata Motors, the largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the country, has started the first trial of hydrogen-powered heavy trucks in line with the green campaign. This trial was flagged off by Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and New and Renewable Energy Minister Prahlad Joshi on Tuesday. Tata Motors Executive Director Girish Wagh was also present on the occasion.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement that in a historic development towards India’s vision of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Prahlad Joshi flagged off the first trials of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks launched by Tata Motors in New Delhi.
Flagging off the trials of these trucks, Nitin Gadkari said, Hydrogen is the fuel of the future, which has immense potential to transform India’s transport sector by reducing emissions and increasing energy self-sufficiency. Such initiatives will accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility in heavy-duty trucking, taking us closer to an efficient, low-carbon future.
Joshi said, Hydrogen is an important fuel for India’s transition to a sustainable and zero-carbon future. The start of this trial is an important step towards demonstrating the potential of green hydrogen in decarbonizing India’s transport sector. He said that this initiative is part of the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which reflects our commitment to promote innovation and achieve India’s energy independence while contributing to global climate goals.
According to the ministry, the testing phase of Tata Motors’ hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks will last for 24 months. It includes the deployment of 16 advanced hydrogen-powered vehicles with different configurations and payload capacities.
Equipped with new-age hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2-ICE) and fuel cell (H2-FCEV) technologies, these trucks will be tested on India’s most prominent freight routes, including Mumbai, Pune, Delhi-NCR, Surat, Vadodara, Jamshedpur and Kalinganagar. These trucks have an operational range of 300-500 km.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
