Union Ministers take ride in hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to promote clean mobility

New Delhi, Jan 6 (IANS) To promote green hydrogen and clean mobility in the country, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, on Tuesday took a joint ride in the Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) here.

Joshi drove the Mirai from Bharat Mandapam to the residence of Gadkari in the national capital, highlighting the government’s commitment to promoting green hydrogen and clean mobility in the country, said the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in a statement.

The Toyota ‘Mirai’, a second-generation hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV), produces electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, emitting only water vapour as a by-product.

With a driving range of approximately 650 km and a refuelling time of under five minutes, it is among the world’s most advanced and efficient zero-emission mobility solutions, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, India’s green hydrogen production capacity is likely to reach 5 million metric tonnes per annum by 2030. The National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) aims to make India a global hub for the production, usage, and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives.

The minister also listed the incentives and manufacturing initiatives under the NGHM to reduce the cost of green hydrogen.

Under the incentive scheme for electrolyser manufacturing, 15 companies have been awarded a total manufacturing capacity of 3,000 MW per annum, with incentives worth Rs 4,440 crore. Under the incentive scheme for green hydrogen production, 18 companies have been awarded a cumulative production capacity of 8,62,000 tonnes per annum.

Two companies have been awarded 20,000 tonnes per annum worth of incentives for refineries, the minister added. Additional measures to reduce costs include exemptions from interstate transmission system charges for 25 years for plants commissioned on or before December 31, 2030, an official statement said recently.

na/