Kolkata Authority Planning to Introduce Green Hydrogen Buses in Smart City

Kolkata: The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) is talking to various research groups to see if it's possible to bring in buses powered by green hydrogen in their smart city. They want to figure out if it can work and if it's a good idea.

They started using buses powered by green hydrogen in Delhi for the first time in September of this year. The officials from NKDA mentioned that back in 2014, New Town was the first city in eastern India to bring in electric buses.

“We are exploring the cost factor and other issues. If it could operate in Ladakh, why not in Kolkata or New Town?" said an official, as per the TOI report.

In September, Delhi stepped towards having pollution-free public transportation. On September 25, 2023, Hardeep Singh Puri, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, kicked off a trial run for two hydrogen buses in Delhi. These buses, acquired by Indian Oil Corporation from Tata Motors, mark a significant move toward cleaner air in the city, which has long struggled with pollution. Hydrogen buses don't produce any emissions, making them a cleaner and more sustainable option compared to diesel and CNG buses. The trial run of these two buses is the initial phase in assessing the possibility of having hydrogen buses widely used in Delhi.

During the launch, Puri mentioned that the fleet would expand to 15 vehicles by the end of the year. These buses will initially operate in the national capital region without passengers. As the fleet grows, routes in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have also been selected for the hydrogen bus service.

To fuel the two buses during testing, a small green hydrogen facility has been set up at Indian Oil's R&D site in Faridabad. This facility will use electricity from renewable sources to electrolyze water, producing 75 kg of green hydrogen.