India is ramping up its clean transport ambitions, aiming to have at least 1,000 hydrogen-powered trucks and buses on the road by 2030.
The move reported by Business Standard, marks a major step in the country’s strategy to decarbonise its transport sector, with hydrogen emerging as a key complement to its growing electric vehicle ecosystem.
Speaking at a recent Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) event, Abhay Bakre, Mission Director of the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), outlined plans for a phased rollout.
“Almost 50 trucks and buses should be running this year,” he said, with numbers expected to scale from 2025 onwards.
The focus is on medium and heavy commercial vehicles, which contribute disproportionately to transport emissions.
These segments face limits with battery-electric tech due to payload and space constraints, making hydrogen’s high energy density and fast refuelling times an attractive alternative.
The NGHM, launched in 2023, aims to make India a green hydrogen hub with 5 million metric tonnes of annual production by 2030, backed by 60–100 GW of electrolyser capacity and government support.
Automakers like Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, and Olectra Greentech are leading the charge, developing hydrogen fuel cell and internal combustion models.
Refuelling infrastructure is also underway, with Reliance, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum building key hydrogen corridors.
Hydrogen is now firmly on the map as India’s clean mobility frontier.
