Tata Motors begins hydrogen trucks' trial

The largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in India, Tata Motors, is aiding in the country’s plans of reaching zero emissions by 2070 through the testing of hydrogen powered trucks. The trial period will be conducted over 24 months and will consist of manufacturing 16 different advanced hydrogen powered vehicles ranging in both payload capacity and configuration.  

The novel vehicles will utilize hydrogen petrol, diesel engines and fuel cell driven technologies and they will be tested on some of the primary freight corridors in the country like Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Vadodara, Jamshedpur, Delhi-NCR, Kalinganagar and also include regions around Mumbai.

Flagging off the trial, Union Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said, “The future fuel is hydrogen. It can change the transportation sector of India while improving emission levels and energy independence. Such initiatives will change the propulsion of large trucks and help us glide swiftly to a low carbon future. I thank Tata Motors for pioneering this step towards hydrogen powered smart green transportation.”  

The Tata Motors came first in the tender awarded for this trial. The test is sponsored by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy as part of the National Green Hydrogen Mission. It aims to determine the real economic viability of hydrogen powered vehicles for long haul transportation as well as get an indication of what enabling infrastructure would need to be built for them to operate without hindrance.

Girish Wagh, Executive Director, Tata Motors, explains that, “We are honored to take the lead in moving towards clean, zero-emission energy for long-haul transportation by commencing these hydrogen truck trial s. This endeavor would not have been possible without the visionary leadership of the Government of India, and we are committed in deepening our role towards building a sustainable future-ready mobility solution.”