India’s largest fuel retailer, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) (
www.iocl.com), launched the country’s first-ever hydrogen fuel-cell-based bus in New Delhi last month.
The bus — known as Starbus — has been designed and manufactured by Tata Motors (the company that also owns the Jaguar and Land Rover brands), in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The bus, which can seat 30 passengers, will be used for demonstration trials in the national capital. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) have part funded the project.
Fuel cell-powered vehicles are seen by many as the best solution to the growing problem of pollution in India, especially in the large metropolitan areas. Water and heat are the only byproducts of these vehicles, and India has stated its intentions to make a shift towards non-fossil-fuel-based vehicles in the future.
Starbus will be refuelled at a hydrogen station designed by the research and development arm of the IOC.
The oil company is also reported to be working on the development of a variety of battery technologies, including lithium-ion and lead acid.