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NEW DELHI: The Indian government launched on Tuesday the first of its pilot projects to operate hydrogen-powered buses and trucks across the country under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.

Introduced in 2023, with an allocated fund of $2.4 billion, the green hydrogen mission aims to promote the production and use of green hydrogen, which is seen as a critical part of India’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions and achieve its climate goals.

It seeks to make India a global hub for the production of green hydrogen, which all over the world is emerging as a future alternative to fossil fuels.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said in a statement that it had approved five pilot projects, comprising a total of 37 buses and trucks and nine hydrogen refueling stations.

The vehicles will operate on 10 different routes across the country, connecting major cities and regions, including greater Noida, Delhi, and Agra — home to India’s top monument and tourist site, the Taj Mahal — in the north, parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states in eastern India along the Bay of Bengal coast, several cities in Gujarat state and the financial hub of Mumbai along the western coast, and Kochi in the southwest.

“The vehicles that will be deployed for the trial include 15 hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles and 22 hydrogen internal combustion engine-based vehicles,” the ministry said.

“The total financial support for selected projects made available will be around Rs. 208 crore ($24 million) from the government of India. These pilot projects are likely to be commissioned in the next 18-24 months, paving the way to the scaleup of such technologies in India.”

The first three such trucks were deployed in New Delhi on Tuesday by TATA Motors and Indian Oil Corp. — two of the eight private and state companies selected by the government for the project.

“Today we are going to flag off the world’s first large-scale hydrogen truck trial,” Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said during the launching ceremony.

“We are the first in the world now. We are making lots of experiments, successful experiments … Our mission is to make India No. 1 in the world as far as hydrogen is concerned, particularly the green hydrogen.”

JAKARTA: Hundreds evacuated from dozens of flooded neighborhoods around Jakarta on Tuesday as torrential rains pounded the Indonesian capital and its surrounding satellite cities, causing several rivers to overflow.
There were no immediate reports of casualties after the latest deluge, but parts of the city, home to around 11 million people, ground to a halt as whole neighborhoods were swamped in muddy water.
Heavy rain began on Monday, causing some flooding in Jakarta and nearby the cities of Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang.
Water was seen meters high in areas of east and south Jakarta on Tuesday after the rain caused the Ciliwung river to overflow, affecting 1,446 people from 224 houses in one village alone, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said.
In Bogor, more than 300 people were evacuated, dozens of houses were damaged and one bridge collapsed. In Tangerang, 350 houses were flooded after the Cimanceuri River overflowed.
Residents took to rooftops or used ropes to pull themselves to safety through the floodwater in one south Jakarta district, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
Authorities said they were distributing ready-to-eat food, blankets and tarpaulins to those affected by the floods, and deploying rubber boats to evacuate residents.
“If there is a shortage, the public can ask for more. We are ready to help,” BNPB deputy for emergency response Lukmansyah said in a statement.
The low-lying city is prone to flooding during the wet season which runs from around November to March.
In 2020 torrential rain triggered flooding and landslides that killed nearly 70 people in and around Jakarta, while thousands more were forced to evacuate to shelters.