NEW DELHI: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and KPIT Technologies successfully ran trials of India’s first Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) prototype car running on an indigenously developed fuel cell stack, a statement said on Saturday.
HFC technology uses chemical reactions between hydrogen and oxygen (from air) to generate electrical energy, eliminating the use of fossil fuels.
Further, the fuel cell technology emits only water, thus cutting down the emission of harmful greenhouse gases along with other air pollutants.
The fuel cell is a low-temperature PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) type that operates at 65-75 degrees Celsius, which is suitable for vehicular applications.
The trials were run on a battery-electric passenger car platform retrofitted with the fuel cell stack.
However, it is expected that the technology is more suited for commercial vehicles (CV) such as buses and trucks. Battery electric buses/ trucks require a large battery to achieve the desired operating range.
In comparison, HFC technology requires a much smaller battery for a very large operating range. Hence, HFC technology offers more promise for the commercial vehicle segment, the statement said.
“The FC vehicle is fitted with a Type III commercial hydrogen tank. Its capacity is around 1.75 Kgs of H2 stored at about 350 bar pressure and the FC vehicle should run for approximately 250 kms range under typical Indian road conditions at moderate speed of 60-65 kmph. (AGENCIES)
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