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Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM), 12 pilot projects have been awarded to deploy 70 hydrogen-powered vehicles (27 buses, 43 trucks) and 16 Hydrogen Refuelling Stations across 21 routes in multiple states.
Total financial assistance allocated is ~₹410.77 crore, of which ₹41.582 crore has been released so far.
NGHM was approved by the Union Cabinet on 4 January 2023 with a ₹19,744 crore outlay, targeting 5 MMT/year green hydrogen production by 2030.
A structured monitoring mechanism tracks vehicle efficiency, fuel consumption, safety and utilisation to inform future policy.
Information was given by MoS New & Renewable Energy Shripad Yesso Naik in a written Lok Sabha reply.
Make India a global hub for production, usage and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives
Key: Approved 4 January 2023, ₹19,744 crore outlay, targets 5 MMT/year production by 2030
Financial incentives for electrolyser manufacturing and green hydrogen production
Key: Largest component of NGHM's outlay, at ₹17,490 crore
Nodal ministry implementing NGHM and its transport pilot projects
A Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) converts hydrogen into electricity through a fuel cell to power an electric motor, emitting only water vapour. A Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2-ICE) vehicle instead burns hydrogen directly in a modified conventional engine — mechanically similar to a diesel/petrol engine — emitting near-zero CO2 (with some NOx). India's pilot projects deploy both technologies side by side, mixing FCEV buses/trucks with H2-ICE trucks, to compare real-world performance and cost.
Simple Analogy: FCEV is like an electric car that makes its own electricity on the go, using hydrogen as fuel for a mini power plant; H2-ICE is like a regular engine simply retuned to burn hydrogen instead of diesel or petrol.
NGHM designates regional hubs co-locating hydrogen production, storage and transport infrastructure, of which these transport pilots are an early test
A parallel clean-mobility subsidy scheme for battery-electric vehicles, complementary to these hydrogen-vehicle pilots
Several pilot routes run along key highway corridors, aligning hydrogen refuelling infrastructure with national logistics corridors
GS Paper 3 > Environment > Renewable Energy & Green Hydrogen; Economy > Clean Mobility
Recurring — NGHM pilot progress is reported regularly in Parliament as projects scale up
Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition — NGHM's largest funding component, incentivising electrolyser manufacturing and hydrogen production
Government funding covering a project's cost gap to make it commercially viable — used to sanction the transport pilot consortia