Indian Oil Teams Up with Indian Navy to Test Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses

Published On: 23 July 2024
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The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Indian Oil and the Indian Navy at the Nausena Bhawan in New Delhi.

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) recently announced in a press release today that it has delivered hydrogen fuel cell buses to the Indian Navy for performance testing and trials. As part of the Indian government's green initiative, the Indian Navy will play a key role in evaluating fuel cell technology with the state-owned oil major IOCL. The new initiative is an attempt to promote the integration of hydrogen and fuel cell technology in vehicles.

The new partnership was formalized via a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed between the Indian Navy and Indian Oil at the Nausena Bhawan in New Delhi. The agreement was penned in the presence of Indian Oil Chairman S.M. Vaidya, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, and other senior officials. As of now, the state-owned oil major Indian Oil operates a total of 15 hydrogen fuel cell-powered buses in Gujarat and Delhi-NCR. These buses have collectively covered 300,000 kilometres, and each bus is likely to run at least 20,000 km.

Reports indicate that with this new initiative, both entities are aiming to promote fuel cell and hydrogen technology for heavy-duty electric mobility in India. The Indian Navy will check the performance of these electric buses for public transport in different climate conditions in the Gujarat and Delhi-NCR regions. Under the new project, the impact of air quality and local fuel on the performance of these vehicles and fuel-cell systems will also be evaluated. Moreover, this initiative will aid in determining the longevity, operational reliability, and effectiveness of fuel cell-powered buses for potential use in public fleets.

Speaking on the partnership with IndianOil, the Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, said, "The partnership between IndianOil and the Indian Navy is built on an unbreakable bond of trust. We will be testing one of the hydrogen buses and looking forward to deploying environment-friendly transportation in larger numbers, and I must thank IndianOil for choosing the Indian Navy as their partner. The bus will adorn our motto of - "Indian Navy - Combat Ready, Credible, Cohesive, and Future-Ready Force."

The Chairman of IndianOil, S M Vaidya, said, "Today, we come together to celebrate a significant milestone in our shared pursuit of sustainability and environmental stewardship through this advanced Green Hydrogen fuel cell bus to the Indian Navy, symbolizing our commitment to innovation and green technology".