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India to get its first hydrogen fuel pump

Dec 26, 2008 Auto Tech, Green Technologies

Indian Oil

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the country’s largest oil marketing company by sales, will open India’s first hydrogen fuel-dispensing station in New Delhi next month. The fuel pump will  cost Rs 5 crore to setup, with funding from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The hydrogen fuel pump will dispense a mix of hydrogen and CNG roughly in the ratio 20:80 to a group of test vehicles comprising three-wheelers and passenger vehicles, which already run on CNG. The mixture will allow the vehicles to run with minor modifications.

According to a Business Standard report, General Motors India has confirmed that  Equinox, its hydrogen-powered fuel cell car — has been sounded out by IOC as a possible test vehicle in India in the coming months. But fuel cell vehicles, like the Honda FCX Clarity, available now in US, require pure hydrogen to run.  BMW has tested with using hydrogen in conventional internal combustion engines.

Although hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, it rarely occurs in free elemental form and requires huge energy to obtain from sources like water. If the energy required for electrolysis comes from conventional sources. environmental benefits will be less. Hydrogen is also expensive to store and transport, as it has to be stored in highly compressed/liquid form and is potentially explosive.

Still this is an initiative in the right direction. The use of Compressed Natural Gas by all public transport in New Delhi has already cut down it’s pollution levels. This will ensure that India won’t be caught napping if ever we have a hydrogen economy.

Tags: CNG, Hydrogen, India, Indian Oil