The Indian government has approved plans to deploy 33 hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles through seven new pilot projects across five states as it expands the transport programme under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.
The second phase, overseen by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), will include 17 hydrogen buses and 16 trucks in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
All 17 buses will use hydrogen fuel-cell technology. Of the 16 trucks, 13 will use hydrogen internal combustion engines, while three will be equipped with fuel-cell electric powertrains.
The government has sanctioned viability gap funding covering 90% of project costs, with total support of 2.0286 billion rupees, equivalent to about €18.47 million.
Gujarat Leads Hydrogen Vehicle Deployment
NTPC Green Energy will deploy three 9-metre hydrogen fuel-cell buses on the Kandla-Gandhidham route in Gujarat. The project has been allocated 266.1 million rupees, or about €2.4 million.
A separate Gujarat project involving Waaree and Indify Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies will receive 287.7 million rupees. It will deploy two 12-metre hydrogen fuel-cell buses and a 35-tonne fuel-cell truck on the Surat-Chikhli-Tumb route.
KPI Green Engineering, Tata Motors and AB Process Technologies will receive 434.2 million rupees to deploy six 55-tonne hydrogen internal combustion engine trucks.
The trucks will operate between Vadodara and Ankleshwar in Gujarat and on a route connecting Vapi in Gujarat with Nashik in Maharashtra.
In Himachal Pradesh, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation will deploy a 9-metre hydrogen fuel-cell bus around Chamba. The project has been allocated 17.7 million rupees.
Kerala And Madhya Pradesh Add Buses And Trucks
Kerala will receive the largest individual allocation under the programme. The Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and Tata Motors will receive 515.4 million rupees.
The project will deploy two 12-metre hydrogen fuel-cell buses and two 28-tonne hydrogen internal combustion engine trucks on routes linking Kochi with Kozhikode and Kochi with Thrissur and Palakkad.
In Madhya Pradesh, VE Commercial Vehicles and Bharat Petroleum will deploy a 9-metre hydrogen fuel-cell bus, three 19-tonne hydrogen ICE trucks and two 40-tonne hydrogen ICE trucks on the Bina-Guna route. The project has been allocated 59.1 million rupees.
A second Madhya Pradesh project involving EKA Mobility, KPIT Technologies, Bharat Petroleum and Super Spares & Services will receive 448.4 million rupees.
The project will deploy three 9-metre and five 12-metre hydrogen fuel-cell buses, alongside two 55-tonne hydrogen fuel-cell trucks. The vehicles will operate on the Bina-Bhopal, Bina-Jhansi and Bina-Sanchi Stupa routes.
National Hydrogen Transport Programme Expands
The second phase builds on five pilot projects approved during the first phase, which provided funding of 2.0791 billion rupees to deploy 37 hydrogen vehicles.
Combined, the two phases will support 70 hydrogen commercial vehicles across 12 pilot projects and 16 hydrogen refuelling stations. Total government funding is expected to reach 4.1077 billion rupees, equivalent to about €37.4 million.
MNRE said 415.82 million rupees, or approximately €3.8 million, of the total approved financial assistance has already been released.
When the first phase was announced in March 2025, MNRE said it expected projects to be commissioned within 18 to 24 months. The ministry has not announced a specific completion deadline for the second phase.
However, the tender requires each consortium to complete its project within 24 months of receiving its Letter of Award.
The expansion gives India a broader testing ground for hydrogen-powered commercial transport, with fuel-cell buses and both hydrogen combustion and fuel-cell trucks being evaluated across different routes and operating conditions.
The results are expected to provide practical experience in vehicle deployment, refuelling infrastructure and operating economics as India develops its wider hydrogen mobility ecosystem.