‘2024 will lay the roadmap for hydrogen-powered vehicles’
Bengaluru: If 2023 has been the year of electric mobility gathering momentum, 2024, say industry observers, will essentially be about laying the groundwork for broad-basing India’s engagement with alternative fuel – particularly hydrogen. Some enabling action by both the government and the automotive industry was already seen in this calendar, which is expected to evolve into developing the base infrastructure and policy support in the coming year.
Many participants in the sustainability journey are not so impressed by electric mobility. “Electric vehicles are no longer considered the silver bullet solving the twin problem of emissions and our large import bill. We are effectively just moving the emissions from one place to the other in the chain. Hydrogen is expected to emerge as a viable commercial option for both passenger and commercial vehicles and play a significant role in resolving both problems. It is critical that the industry, government and consumer groups are in step to ensure that the regulatory environment facilitates faster adoption,” said Kabir Bogra, Partner at Khaitan & Co.
Kickstarting
On the ground, in January, one saw the Union Government launch the National Green Hydrogen Mission with the aspiration to develop a production capacity of at least 5 MMT per annum bringing in investments of about Rs 8 trillion. The same month one also saw Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland showcase heavy-duty trucks with hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2ICE) technology at the Auto Expo.
Omega Seiki Mobility is set to launch a hydrogen-fuel cell-powered three-wheeler by mid-2024. More recently, India’s first green hydrogen fuel cell electric bus – a product of collaboration between Tata Motors and Indian Oil Corporation – was unveiled in Delhi, in September. Then came the global debut of an H2ICE vehicle by JCB at Bengaluru last week.
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