Pune: The trial run of India’s first Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) prototype car has been a success. It is expected to run for approximately 250 Km range under typical Indian road conditions at moderate speed of 60-65 Km/hr.
Developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Kirtane and Pandit Information Technologies (KPIT) – an Indian multinational corporation headquartered in Pune, the car runs on on an indigenously developed fuel cell stack at CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), Pune.
The fuel cell is a low temperature PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) type Fuel Cell that operates at 65-75 degree centigrade, which is suitable for vehicular applications. The heart of the PEM fuel cell technology includes the membrane electrode assembly, which is wholly a CSIR knowhow. KPIT brought in their expertise in stack engineering which included light-weight metal bipolar plate and gasket design, development of the balance of plant (BoP), system integration, control software and electric powertrain that enabled running the fuel cell vehicle. The fuel cell stack uses extremely thin metal bipolar plates, thus reducing the stack weight by about two-thirds.
The trials were run on a battery-electric passenger car platform retrofitted with the Fuel Cell Stack. The entire fuel cell stack and its associated components with power train were retrofitted in a standard 5-seater sedan car.The FC vehicle, fitted with a Type III commercial hydrogen tank, had a capacity around 1.75 Kgs of H2 stored at about 350 bar pressure.
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 CV segment.
In 2016, CSIR-NCL and CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI) as part of the Industry Originated Project (IOP) category of the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) scheme partnered with KPIT for the development of the automotive grade PEM Fuel Cell technology. Hydrogen Fuel Cell (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 technology has a great future and owing to its indigenous development, is expected to be more commercially viable than ever before. It is an important technology that will help India significantly reduce pollution and reduce our fossil fuel imports,” Ravi Pandit, Chairman, KPIT said
Prof. Ashwini Kumar Nangia, Director, CSIR-NCL stated that, “the time has come for renewable energy based on hydrogen as fuel to power transportation in the country. This will not only reduce the petrol, diesel import bill but hydrogen is the cleanest fuel with water as the only by-product. A long term investment of CSIR under NMITLI in a niche energy area has come to fruition.”
– globalbihari bureau
