SRTC’s green leap with HFC technology

Lucknow: A bus that covers about 190km between Delhi and Agra without any emission and has only water as the waste product! What could get cleaner and greener than this for any form of fuel?
The hydrogen fuel cell technology (HFC) is the latest the Union government has adopted for the cleaner and greener operation of electric buses. The technology is up for trial.The centre has selected UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) for the launch of the HFC technology as a pilot project.
Countries like China, US and a few European nations have made the switchover already. In India, the ministry of petroleum and natural gas has nominated Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and a few other agencies for development, harness and pilot production, storage, distribution and usage of hydrogen cell powered electric vehicles. UPSRTC has joined IOC in the initiative.
There would be ten buses operating between Delhi and Agra as a pilot. IOC would get the ten buses manufactured with an engine designed differently from the fleet existing with the corporation. The buses would be air-conditioned.
In addition, there would be two hydrogen plants set up, each in Delhi and Agra to provide fuel to the buses. At the plants, hydrogen would be produced from water and methane using electrolysis. In the chemical reaction that would follow, hydrogen would be a by-product. The hydrogen would be filled in cylinders and the same would be fitted to the bus.
The engine of the bus would have a converter that would produce electricity through hydrogen to generate the current and also power the battery of the electric bus. In all this, water would be a waste product. The buses will be operated on PPP mode as UPSRTC would put them on lease. “It might take about a year before we complete the trial and comment on the operational aspects,” said chief general manager (technical), UPSRTC, Jaideep Verma.
The electric buses that are under operation need to be charged at charging depots. In these buses, hydrogen fuel would keep charging the battery while the vehicle is moving.
The IOC, last week, had made a presentation on the technology to UPSRTC officials.