Tata Motors, country’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, on Tuesday commenced the first-ever trials of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks to assess their viability for long-haul transportation solutions. The trial phase will span up to 24 months and involves deployment of 16 such vehicles with varying configurations and payload capacities.
These trucks, equipped with new age Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines (H2-ICE) and Fuel Cell (H2-FCEV) technologies, will be tested on India’s most prominent freight routes, including those around Mumbai, Pune, Delhi-NCR, Surat, Vadodara, Jamshedpur and Kalinganagar.
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways said that hydrogen is the fuel of the future with immense potential to transform India’s transportation sector by reducing emissions and enhancing energy self-reliance.
Tata Motors Executive Director Girish Wagh said that during the trial run, feedback would be collected in terms of performance of this technology in real life operating conditions, infrastructure and commercial viability.
As hydrogen fuel cells or hydrogen internal combustion engines can probably be a viable technology for heavy duty, longer duration transportation, the auto major is investing in the technology, Wagh said.
Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said the beginning of the trial is a significant step forward in showcasing the potential of green hydrogen in decarbonising India’s transportation sector. Tata Motor was awarded the tender for this trial, which is funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. With an operational range of 300-500 km, these vehicles are engineered for sustainable, cost-efficient, and high-performance transportation.