New Delhi: Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday drove into Parliament in a green hydrogen-powered car, reinforcing his government’s commitment to increasingly rely on alternative sources of energy.
The minister added his weight to the pilot project of the vehicle – the first of its kind in India.
The white car sported a green number plate which is used in electric vehicles as well.
Gadkar told reporters outside Parliament: “Gas and petrol prices are soaring in the world market. This has caused a lot of distress among people. But Narendra Modi’s dream is an aatmanirbhar bharat. We import Rs 8 lakh crore worth of petrol, crude, diesel. Therefore, we must produce ethanol, methanol, bio diesel, bio CNG, bio LNG, electricity and green hydrogen.”
The minister said the government was looking to clean up dirty water and reuse organic waste for the purpose of producing green energy.
He said this power would be cheaper – at Rs 2 per kilometre – while cars consume Rs 10 per kilometre of petrol.
Electric cars still remain the cheapest, at Rs 1 per kilometre.
Gadkari said India wants to be a country that exports energy. “Towards that goal, I rode this car today so that people are enthused and can trust this water-made energy which is completely environment friendly,” he said.
Gadkari had launched this green hydrogen-based advanced fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) – a Toyota Mirai — on 16 March. This is the first-of-its-kind project in India that aims to create an ecosystem for such vehicles in the country.
The company claimed the hydrogen fuel cell battery could provide a 600-km run on a single charge, with a refuelling time of five minutes.