Ashok Leyland prefers to go for hydrogen-powered vehicles

Ashok Leyland Ltd expects hydrogen-powered truck and buses to emerge as a self-sufficient green solution with commercial viability beginning in the next five years, at a time commercial vehicle makers prepare to invest in electric vehicles and natural gas and flexible fuel platforms.

A potential move to reduce tax on hydrogen, particularly green hydrogen that could help eliminate import content, and its availability along certain long-haul corridors could create a positive business case for hydrogen-powered vehicles in both internal combustion (IC) engine and fuel cell variants in the next five years.

Hydrogen-powered long-haul trucks could make the total cost of ownership (TCO) lower than compressed natural gas (CNG) variants at the right level of adoption and cost.

Hydrogen as a fuel will be an attractive proposition in the long-distance truck segment and not in the lower range of vehicles, according to Ashok Leyland.

India aims to produce 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030. The National Hydrogen Mission unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year aims to make India a hub for the production and export of green hydrogen. The policy is geared to help India meet its decarbonisation goals and reduce its energy import bill of $160 billion, according to a report by NITI Aayog.