Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) plans to introduce buses running on Green Hydrogen soon. It will do so by converting around 200 diesel-run buses from its fleet into green hydrogen buses. Unlike coal and oil, green hydrogen is a clean energy source whose only residue is water vapour, as it is produced by the electrolysis of water.
As per sources, BEST is undertaking this pilot project in collaboration with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). Planning to adore 100% green energy buses before 2024, the General Manager of BEST, Lokesh Chandra, said, “BEST wants to explore similar technology and get rid of all polluting buses in its own fleet.”
It must be noted that union transport minister Nitin Gadkari owns the Toyota Mirai, which is India’s first Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) and can reportedly travel 600 km on a full tank. It is being said that the idea to convert the diesel-run fleet into a sustainable one finds roots in the mention of this car by the Minister at an event. Speaking about the emerging trend of green fuel, he said, “Green hydrogen is the fuel of the future in India. I ride comfortably in my car which runs on hydrogen. Also, petrol and diesel have become expensive and therefore it’s high time we switch to alternate fuels such as hydrogen, electric, biodiesel, natural gas, ethanol, which are currently in production to power vehicles of the future.”
Green Hydrogen Fuel is versatile and renewable and it can be easily stored. But as of now, it is more expensive than most other fuels and needs safety measures and high energy for production.
