Leh now hosts the world's highest-altitude hydrogen bus project, operating above 3,650 metres.
NEW DELHI: India’s push toward hydrogen-powered transport has grown considerably faster than most observers expected. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha on July 29, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy confirmed that 12 pilot projects have now been awarded under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, deploying 70 hydrogen vehicles including 27 buses and 43 trucks across 21 routes nationwide, backed by ₹410.77 crore in viability gap funding.
What makes this update encouraging is the pace of expansion. Comparing this disclosure with the Ministry’s earlier update from March 2025 shows the programme has more than doubled its sanctioned projects and route coverage within just 16 months, reflecting strong institutional momentum behind India’s hydrogen mobility ambitions.
A Sensible, Milestone-Based Funding Model
At first glance the fact that only ₹41.58 crore of the ₹410.77 crore sanctioned has been released so far might look like a delay. In reality this reflects a well-designed and prudent funding structure. Capital is released in stages tied to concrete physical milestones such as factory acceptance testing of fuel cells and safety certification of refuelling stations, ensuring public money flows only as real infrastructure gets built. Since several newer projects were sanctioned only recently, their funding naturally sits at early mobilisation stages, a pattern consistent with how large infrastructure programmes typically unfold.
An Impressive Corporate Coalition
The programme has successfully brought together some of India’s largest industrial names into a coordinated ecosystem. Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland are leading vehicle deployment using both fuel cell and hydrogen combustion engine technologies while Reliance Industries, NTPC and the major oil marketing companies including Indian Oil, BPCL and HPCL are building out fuel supply and refuelling infrastructure. Newer entrants like EKA Mobility and WAAREE have also joined in the programme’s second phase, expanding the innovation base beyond established manufacturers.
This kind of broad industrial participation across vehicle manufacturing, fuel supply and infrastructure operation signals serious long-term commitment from India’s private sector toward building a genuine hydrogen mobility ecosystem rather than isolated experiments.
Real-World Testing in India’s Toughest Conditions
Among the most compelling stories within this programme is NTPC’s hydrogen bus project in Leh, operating at over 3,650 metres above sea level, making it the highest-altitude hydrogen mobility installation anywhere in the world. The project pairs a solar-powered electrolyser with fuel cell buses that have already demonstrated a range of 300 kilometres per fill even in extreme cold. This kind of rigorous real-world testing in one of the most challenging environments on the planet is generating valuable engineering data that will directly strengthen hydrogen vehicle designs for the rest of the country.
Smart Technology Choices for Faster Scale-Up
Encouragingly a large share of the pilot fleet, 43 of the 70 vehicles, uses hydrogen internal combustion engine technology rather than fuel cells. This is a pragmatic choice since these engines require far less capital investment than fuel cell systems while still delivering zero-carbon combustion, allowing manufacturers to scale production more quickly using largely existing engine architecture and supply chains. This dual-track approach of testing both fuel cell and combustion technologies simultaneously gives India valuable comparative data to guide long-term technology decisions.
Building Toward Genuine Cost Competitiveness
The bigger picture here is equally promising. India’s broader National Green Hydrogen Mission has already secured commitments for 862,000 tonnes per annum of green hydrogen production capacity through structured government auctions along with 3,000 megawatts of domestic electrolyser manufacturing capacity, both critical building blocks needed to bring hydrogen fuel costs down toward diesel parity over the coming years. Several of these upcoming production hubs are strategically located near the very transport corridors chosen for these pilots, a thoughtful design choice that should ease the eventual transition from pilot to commercial-scale operation.
Learning From Global Leaders
India’s current fleet of 70 hydrogen vehicles is still modest compared to established markets like China and South Korea which have deployed tens of thousands of units. However India’s strategic focus on heavy trucks and buses rather than passenger cars closely mirrors China’s successful approach and plays to hydrogen’s strengths in long-haul, heavy-payload applications where battery electric vehicles face real limitations.
A Strong Foundation for What’s Next
Taken together this parliamentary disclosure paints a picture of a methodical, well-structured pilot programme generating exactly the kind of operational data India needs before scaling hydrogen transport commercially. With strong corporate participation, sensible technology diversification and rapidly growing production capacity in the pipeline, India’s hydrogen mobility journey looks well positioned to build commercial momentum as the decade progresses.
About the Author
