India

Five Indian automobile majors — Bajaj Auto, Ashok Leyland, Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) and Eicher Motors — have come together to develop hydrogen blended compressed natural gas (HCNG) fuelled vehicles according to The India Times.  The pilot project will use CNG with different blends of hydrogen fuel ranging from 12% to 30%. This will be tested on the different type of vehicles that will be supplied by these manufacturers. Bajaj Auto's three-wheeler has reportedly already been tested along with Tata Motors' light commercial vehicles (LCV), while bigger commercial vehicles and buses will soon be tested.

The joint initiative of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy along (MNRE) with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers' (SIAM), will spur use of Hydrogen as an auto fuel in India.

"We will study emissions and performance of different vehicles running with different hydrogen blends of up to 30% in the conventional internal combustion engines. The new fuel will be tested on all vehicle types — from three-wheeler, cars to passenger buses. The new blend will demonstrate hydrogen as an automotive fuel in India and leading to much cleaner environment," said SIAM's Director General Dilip Chenoy.

Behind the pilot project lies the vision to control the rising pollution in metros and cities, which is becoming the biggest health hazard in urban settlements. From testing new vehicles running on HCNG, it will be extended to cover the existing CNG fleet in Mumbai, Delhi, Surat and Agra. Delhi has 5.2 million registered vehicles, the highest in the country of which around 100,000 are fuelled by CNG alone.

"We will determine the right blend for optimum power and minimum emission levels. There will be half a dozen different engines in these tests ranging from 250 cc to over 2,000 cc, which will help us to determine the precise blend of fuel for ultimate efficiency in the automobile industry," Mr Chenoy added.