The second phase places almost equal emphasis on hydrogen buses and trucks. Of the 33 vehicles planned, 17 will be buses and 16 trucks. All 17 buses will feature hydrogen fuel-cell technology, while of the 16 trucks, 13 will use hydrogen internal combustion engines and only three will be FCEVs.
The government has sanctioned viability gap funding covering 90 per cent of the costs of the seven pilot projects, amounting to 2.0286 billion rupees (approx. 18.47 million euros). NTPC Green Energy Ltd. will deploy three 9-metre hydrogen fuel-cell buses on the Kandla-Gandhidham route in Gujarat, with funding of 266.1 million rupees (approx. 2.4 million euros).
Waaree and Indify Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies Pvt. Ltd. will work on another pilot project in Gujarat with funding of 287.7 million rupees (approx. 2.6 million euros). They will commission two 12-metre hydrogen fuel-cell buses and a 35-tonne hydrogen fuel-cell truck on the Surat-Chikhli-Tumb route.
KPI Green Engineering Ltd., Tata Motors Ltd., and AB Process Technologies will deploy six 55-tonne hydrogen ICE trucks with funding of 434.2 million rupees (approx. 4.0 million euros). The trucks will be used between Vadodara and Ankleshwar in Gujarat as well as on the route connecting Vapi in the same state with Nashik in Maharashtra.
In Himachal Pradesh, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd. will commission a 9-metre hydrogen fuel-cell bus for use in and around Chamba. It will receive funding of 17.7 million rupees (approx. 161,000 euros) for the pilot project.
In Kerala, the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, and Tata Motors Ltd. will deploy two 12-metre hydrogen fuel-cell buses and two 28-tonne hydrogen ICE trucks, backed by the single largest allocation of 515.4 million rupees (approx. 4.7 million euros). The vehicles will operate on the Kochi-Kozhikode and Kochi-Thrissur-Palakkad routes.
In Madhya Pradesh, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. will deploy a 9-metre hydrogen fuel-cell bus, three 19-tonne hydrogen ICE trucks, and two 40-tonne hydrogen ICE trucks on the Bina-Guna route, with an allocation of 59.1 million rupees (approx. 538,000 euros).
A second pilot project in Madhya Pradesh will see EKA Mobility, KPIT Technologies, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., and Super Spares & Services commission three 9-metre and five 12-metre hydrogen fuel-cell buses as well as two 55-tonne hydrogen fuel-cell trucks, with funding of 448.4 million rupees (approx. 4.1 million euros). The vehicles will be used on the Bina-Bhopal, Bina-Jhansi, and Bina-Sanchi Stupa routes.
In the first phase, the government sanctioned five pilot projects to deploy 37 hydrogen vehicles, with financial support of 2.0791 billion rupees (approx. 18.9 million euros). With the newly announced second phase, the National Green Hydrogen Mission will see a total of 70 hydrogen commercial vehicles deployed across 12 pilot projects, along with 16 hydrogen refuelling stations, with a total allocation of 4.1077 billion rupees (approx. 37.4 million euros).
MNRE says that 415.82 million rupees (approx. 3.8 million euros) of the total financial assistance of 4.1077 billion rupees (approx. 37.4 million euros) has already been released. When announcing the first phase in March 2025, the ministry said it expected all projects to be commissioned within 18 to 24 months. It has not disclosed a specific timeline or deadline for completing the second phase, although the tender requires each consortium to complete its project within 24 months of receiving its Letter of Award.
pib.gov.in
