New Delhi (NVI): In another step towards promoting green fuel, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways today notified standards for safety evaluation of hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles.
“The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified the Standards for Safety Evaluation of vehicles being propelled by Hydrogen Fuel cells through an amendment to Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 dated September 23, 2020,” the ministry said in a statement.
This would facilitate the promotion of hydrogen fuel cell-based vehicles in the country, which are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, it added.
The ministry further said the standards for the testing of such vehicles, which are at par with the international standards, have been made available with the prospective manufacturers and suppliers.
Moreover, the fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen gas to power an electric motor. Unlike conventional vehicles which run on petrol or diesel, fuel cell cars combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, which runs a motor.
Earlier in July, the Ministry issued a draft notification to include motor vehicles of Categories M and N, running on compressed gaseous hydrogen fuel cell, to be in accordance with AIS (automative industry standard) 157:2020.
Further, the hydrogen fuel specifications for fuel cell vehicles will be in accordance with ISO 14687 till the corresponding BIS specification is notified under the Bureau of Indian Standard Act, 2016.
The ministry also invited suggestions from stakeholders for inclusion of hydrogen-enriched CNG as an automotive fuel, but no objections or suggestions were received in this respect.
-RJV
