RoydadNaft –  The Indian government has announced plans to deploy at least 1,000 hydrogen-powered trucks and buses by 2030.

The government has identified hydrogen as a more practical solution for long-distance freight trucks, offering key advantages over battery-electric alternatives, especially in terms of preserving cargo space and enabling faster refuelling.

Abhay Bakre, Mission Director of India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), reportedly outlined at an event that up to 50 hydrogen-powered trucks and buses will be operating this year.

Bakre added, “I hope by 2030, more than 1,000 trucks or buses will be plying and used commercially in the country. That is what we are expecting.”

The NGHM targets a minimum annual production capacity of five million tonnes by 2030, and around 60-100GW of installed electrolyser capacity.

However, the India Hydrogen Alliance (IH2A) reported that the nation’s installed electrolyser base sits at just 40MW, producing 10,600 tonnes per year – 1% of the NGHM target.

Last month, IH2A urged the government to introduce Hydrogen Purchase Obligations (HPOs) to meet the nation’s 2030 green hydrogen target and guarantee over $80bn in planned investment.

Nevertheless, to support India’s plans to decarbonise its mobility sector, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MRNE) launched a $23m hydrogen bus and truck trial last March.

The projects will see 37 hydrogen fuel cell and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles tested for public transport operations and nine refuelling stations implemented across the next two years.