India’s First Fleet Of Hydrogen-Powered Heavy Trucks Begin Trials On Key Freight Routes—What You Need To Know

In a significant development, the trials of India's first fleet of Hydrogen-powered heavy duty trucks began on Tuesday (4 March).

Tata Motors, the country’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, launched the first-ever trials of its hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks.

This trial, was flagged off by Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi.

Tata Motors was awarded the tender for this trial, which is funded by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

With an allocation of Rs 19,744 crore, the National Green Hydrogen Mission aims to establish India as a key player in hydrogen production, storage, and application across various sectors.

Tata Motors said that the trial marks a significant step forward in assessing the real-world commercial viability of using hydrogen powered vehicles for long distance haulage as well as setting-up the requisite enabling infrastructure for their seamless operation.

The trial phase will span up to 24 months and involves deployment of 16 advanced hydrogen-powered vehicles with varying configurations and payload capacities.

These trucks, equipped with new age Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines (H2-ICE) and Fuel Cell (H2-FCEV) technologies, will be tested on India’s most prominent freight routes, including those around Mumbai, Pune, Delhi-NCR, Surat, Vadodara, Jamshedpur and Kalinganagar.

The flagged-off vehicles will display both Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2ICE) and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) technologies.

"This includes two Tata Prima H.55S prime movers—one powered by H2ICE and the other by FCEV, alongside the Tata Prima H.28, an advanced H2ICE truck," Tata Motors said in a statement.

With an operational range of 300-500 km, these vehicles are engineered for sustainable, cost-efficient, and high-performance transportation, the company said.

The trucks feature the premium Prima cabin and advanced driver-assist safety features that enhance driver comfort, reduce fatigue, and improve productivity while setting new benchmarks for safety in trucking.

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