Indian Government plans a million hydrogen vehicles by 2020, doesn't mention hybrid cars

Indian Government plans a million hydrogen vehicles by 2020, doesn't mention hybrid cars

Excellent idea, from the Steering Group on hydrogen. While India is on its way to that amazing future, will someone take a look a hybrid cars too?

15 February 2006
MUMBAI, INDIA

The Indian government is planning to ensure that at least a million hydrogen-fuelled vehicles hit the roads by 2020 - and this would require generating 1,000 MW from hydrogen. The Steering Group on hydrogen, chaired by Ratan Tata, has estimated an investment Rs.250 billion over 15 years in India to make this achievable. The group has also strongly emphasized the importance of public-private initiatives.

So far, India has not seen any hydrogen-fuelled car at all - and the only hybrid car India has seen to date has been the hybrid SUV Mahindra Scorpio unveiled in January at the Auto Expo 2006 in Delhi. The Scorpio hybrid should hit the streets sometime in 2008. Hybrid cars - using an electric motor in in conjunction with a regular internal combustion engine is considered a good compromise on the way to a hydrogen economy. Hybrid vehicles are massive fuel-savers too - something which can make them a hit in a value-conscious country like India.

However, there is no mention of any hybrid cars at all - and this is surprising. It is almost impossible to make a complete switch from petrol and diesel to hydrogen, and a decade or more of hybrid vehicles which can be produced immediately and will serve to reduce the country's fuel needs is an excellent stopgap arrangement - even for the consumer. Hyundai India has expressed its interest in producing hybrid cars for India - but added that they would require subsidies from the government. Mahindra has promised the Scorpio hybrid to India as soon as possible, at a slightly higher price point than the regular Scorpios.

According to Dr. Arun Jaura, VP of Engineering and R&D, Mahindra and Mahindra, the company that unveiled the unveiled Scorpio Hybrid and a 3-wheeler hydrogen vehicle (HY-Alfa), hybrid cars would lead to a better fuel economy, lesser pollutants, a cleaner environment and national energy security. Muttemwar also added that "The urgency of making the transition to hydrogen energy economy from the present hydrocarbon energy economy has been recognised globally and large-scale efforts are in progress not only in advanced countries but also in developing countries like India, China and Brazil."

The Steering Group, which made its recommendations to the Indian Non-Conventional Energy Sources Minister Vilas Muttemwar, said that at least Rs.240 billion would be required in order to create the infrastructure for hydrogen production, storage, transportation and distribution. Additionally, Rs.10 billion would go into development, research and demonstration of technology. The Hydrogen Steering Group is confident that India can achieve this goal, despite key challenges in terms of cost of production of hydrogen and its safe storage and use in gaseous, liquid, and solid states.

According to Muttemwar, "India is poised to be in the forefront of hydrogen energy technologies because the country is uniquely endowed with a strong science and technology base and advanced industrial infrastructure."

Referring to government plans to put India on the road to hydrogen cars, he said, "The roadmap has proposed two major initiatives - the green initiative for future transport (GIFT) and green initiative for power generation (GIP)."

The GIFT is aiming at the development of a hydrogen-powered engine, as well as fuel cell-based automobiles, including two- and three- wheeled cars and buses. The GIP will work towards the development and demonstration of a hydrogen powered engine and turbine and fuel cell-based decentralised power generating systems to target 1,000MW generation capacity by 2020.

Hydrogen is freely present in the atmosphere - an obviously tempting energy source. Harnessing it is not so easy though, and fuel cells are the most preferred option. There is a global shift towards an economy driven by hydrogen energy from hydrocarbon energy. Currently, hydrogen fuel cell technology is being heavily researched internationally, as well as in India.

However, RK Pachauri, head of The Energy Research Institute (formerly the Tata Energy Research Institute) has rubbished the government roadmap. Speaking to Mumbai daily DNA, he said, "I am amazed how a group of people like this can come up with such a ridiculous road map. This is completely unrealistic, unfeasible. Not a single country anywhere in the world has considered anything like this possible."

As for as, we do not consider the roadmap unrealistic - thinking big and out of the box is a necessity nowadays. However, we have our doubts about a strategy which focuses solely on hydrogen and does not mention hybrids at all. Maybe it is not part of the Hydrogen Steering Group's mission - the question is, then whose mission is it?