• Recently, the Ministry of Road Transport and highways has notified standards for the safety evaluation of hydrogen fuel cell based vehicles.

What is Hydrogen fuel cell?

• Hydrogen fuel cell is an electro-chemical device which converts hydrogen into electricity directly.
• The hydrogen is fed to the anode, and air is fed to the cathode.
• In a hydrogen fuel cell, a catalyst at the anode separates hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons, which take different paths to the cathode. The electrons go through an external circuit, creating a flow of electricity.
• It is a low temperature operation which will release only water vapour.

Sources of Hydrogen

• Renewable energy sources

1. Thermal based sources through high temperature steam electrolysis
2. Biomass based sources by converting agricultural waste through gasification.

Scope for hydrogen fuel cell

• The hydrogen fuel cell technology has very huge potential because it can be used for transportation purpose, power generation and in further enhancing the electric vehicles.
• India aims to achieve zero emissions and clean mobility for which it needs to tackle pollution and hydrogen fuel cells tend to be very efficient because it leads to zero emissions of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter.
• India being one of the largest producers of trucks and tractors and 2nd largest producer of buses, it should embrace the new technologies in the automobile sector and can come as a front runner.

Challenges

(i) The companies around Europe and USA have been experimenting with the fuel cell technology and the cost per vehicle is around $ 50,000. Thus, the cost of production, transportation, storage and dispensing is very high.

(ii) The investment requirement is very huge due to which the  industries would not come forward.

(iii) The safety point is the major concern regarding the use of hydrogen fuel.

(iv) At present the electric vehicles are also produced less by industries and hence there is very less scope for producing hydrogen fuel based vehicles.

Conclusion

• In a way to achieve zero emissions, India can take a plunge right now by utilising the new technology and can play a bigger role in the mobility scenario and can rebuild the economy in a sustainable way.