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July 30, 2025 – India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has officially awarded 12 pilot projects under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) to deploy 70 hydrogen-powered vehicles—27 buses and 43 trucks—across 21 routes. The initiative, with a total sanctioned financial assistance of approximately ₹410.77 crore (about $49 million), also includes the installation of 16 new hydrogen refueling stations in multiple states.
Union Minister of State Shripad Yesso Naik confirmed the details in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of parliament. The government has already released ₹41.582 crore (roughly $5 million) to kickstart the projects. The pilots are designed to test both Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) and Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H₂-ICE) vehicles, generating critical performance data on efficiency, fuel consumption, safety, and utilization.
The pilot projects are structured in two phases. Phase I includes five projects with ₹207.91 crore in viability gap funding, covering 10 buses and 27 trucks operating on routes in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. Phase II comprises seven projects with ₹202.86 crore in funding, deploying 17 buses and 16 trucks across routes in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Each implementing agency is required to submit regular performance reports, which will be used to evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of hydrogen-based mobility in India. The findings are expected to inform future policy interventions and accelerate the deployment of hydrogen-powered vehicles across the country.
India’s push comes at a time when hydrogen mobility is gaining traction worldwide. In the United States, the Department of Energy’s Hydrogen Shot initiative aims to reduce the cost of clean hydrogen by 80% to $1 per kilogram by 2031, while California’s Advanced Clean Trucks regulation mandates increasing zero-emission truck sales. India’s pilot results could offer valuable insights for cost reduction and infrastructure planning in similar markets.
According to the International Energy Agency, global hydrogen vehicle stock reached around 72,000 units by the end of 2024, with South Korea, China, and the U.S. leading deployment. India’s 70-vehicle pilot, though modest in scale, represents a significant step for a country that aims to become a green hydrogen hub and meet its net-zero emissions target by 2070.
The NGHM, launched in January 2023 with an initial outlay of ₹19,744 crore (about $2.4 billion), targets a green hydrogen production capacity of 5 million metric tonnes per annum by 2030. The pilot projects are a key component of the mission’s “Strategic Hydrogen Innovation and Demonstration” component, which also includes research on hydrogen storage, transport, and blending in natural gas pipelines.
For U.S. stakeholders, India’s pilot data will be closely watched. The U.S. Department of Energy has funded several hydrogen hub projects under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, totaling $7 billion. The Indian experience with H₂-ICE trucks—which use hydrogen as a fuel in a modified internal combustion engine rather than a fuel cell—is particularly relevant. Industry experts note that H₂-ICE technology can be a lower-cost bridge to zero-emission heavy-duty transport, especially in regions where hydrogen refueling infrastructure is still sparse.
The performance metrics from India’s 21-route network will offer real-world data on hydrogen consumption, range, and maintenance costs under diverse climatic and terrain conditions. This could help U.S. fleet operators and policymakers refine their own hydrogen deployment strategies.
The Indian government has not yet announced a timeline for scaling up the pilot projects, but the data collected over the next 12–18 months is expected to play a decisive role in shaping the country’s hydrogen mobility roadmap. Experts predict that successful pilots could lead to a broader rollout of hydrogen-powered trucks and buses, especially on long-haul routes where battery-electric vehicles face range and charging limitations.
India’s move also aligns with its G20 presidency focus on accelerating the transition to clean energy. As the world’s third-largest carbon emitter, India’s adoption of hydrogen mobility could significantly dent global transport emissions, which account for roughly one-quarter of energy-related CO₂ output.
The pilot projects are being implemented by a consortium of public and private entities, including Indian Oil Corporation, GAIL, and NTPC, alongside state transport corporations and technology partners. The 16 refueling stations will be built at strategic locations along the designated routes, ensuring a reliable supply of green hydrogen produced via electrolysis using renewable energy.
