India Starts Trial of Hydrogen CNG Buses

Indian petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan on October 20 inaugurated state-run Indian Oil's compact reformer plant and launched the trial run of buses fuelled by hydrogen-blended compressed natural gas (HCNG) in Delhi.

"I am happy to note that the scientists of Indian Oil R&D have risen to the occasion and have developed an innovative compact reforming technology for production of hydrogen-mixed CNG," Pradhan said. Indian Oil will run 50 HCNG buses during the pilot phase.

Indian Oil has set up two hydrogen and HCNG dispensing stations: one at its R&D campus in Faridabad in Haryana and another at its retail station at Dwarka, Delhi, company chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya said.

The existing internal combustion engine can be run on HCNG without significant modification and with a minimal upgrade to existing CNG infrastructure, according to Indian Oil. The blended fuel offers a 70% reduction of carbon monoxide and a 25% reduction in hydrocarbon emissions over standard CNG, the company said. 

The Indian government permitted the use of HCNG as an automobile fuel last month. The ministry of road transport and highways has allowed a CNG mix of up to 18% hydrogen to be used in engines. The Bureau of Indian Standards has also set specifications for HCNG for automotive purposes.