Union Minister for Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh, launched India's first indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cell bus at an event in Pune on Sunday. The eco-friendly bus has been built by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and KPIT Limited, a Pune-based software multinational.
At the launch, the minister laid emphasis on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Hydrogen Vision' to meet climate change goals and the Centre’s aims to make the country ‘Atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) on clean energy, and create employment in the sector.
What is a hydrogen fuel cell?
Hydrogen fuel cells work like conventional batteries of electric vehicles, but they do not run out of charge, and they don’t need to be recharged with electricity. Fuel cells continue to produce electricity with the supply of hydrogen fuel that reacts with air to produce electricity.
According to the US Department of Energy, a fuel cell consists of an anode (negative electrode) and cathode (positive electrode) sandwiched around an electrolyte. Hydrogen is fed to the anode and air is fed to the cathode. At the anode, a catalyst separates the hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons which take different paths to the cathode. The electrons go through an external circuit, creating a flow of electricity that powers electric motors. The protons move to the cathode through the electrolyte. Once there, they unite in presence of oxygen, they produce water and heat as by-products.
Efficiency
The hydrogen fuel cell technology is highly efficient, and the high energy density of hydrogen ensures that the operational costs in rupees per kilometre for fuel cell trucks and buses are lower than diesel-powered vehicles.
Minister Jitendra Singh lauded the joint development efforts of KPIT and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) NCL for their technical prowess in producing technology that is the best in the world at much lower costs.
Emissions
The fuel cells of the bus utilise hydrogen and air to generate electricity, thus, the only effluent from the bus is water. This makes it possibly the most environment-friendly mode of transportation. For comparison, a single diesel bus plying on long-distance routes typically emits 100 tonnes of CO2 annually, according to Minister Jitendra Singh. hydrogen-fuelled vehicles like this bus will provide a better alternative to completely eliminate the on-road emissions.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
