Panel okays mixing of hydrogen with CNG

The Standing Committee on Emission Regulation "" under the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways "" today approved addition of hydrogen to CNG (compressed natural gas) for use in vehicles. The proposal is to use CNG with 20 per cent hydrogen content.

When this gets notified, India will become the first country to use this mix on a commercial basis and take a definitive step towards enhancing the use of renewable energy in automobiles. Hydrogen is freely available in the atmosphere, though tapping it entails some cost.

Industry sources say a few tests remain on the modification needed in engines. The change may be notified after this.

The project, involving Ashok Leyland, Bajaj Auto, Eicher Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors, began as an attempt to control the emission of NOx (nitrogen oxide) from poorly-maintained CNG vehicles. At 20 per cent, hydrogen mixes well with CNG and does not reduce the power output of engines significantly.

The new fuel will now have to be made part of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, which govern the automotive industry in the country.

While attempts are on to increase the hydrogen content in this mixture, the automotive industry will have to develop engines that can run on this new mix.

"This is also the first step in developing automobiles that can run completely on hydrogen," said a committee member. The five automotive majors will collaborate in developing this new engine.

CNG, as a clean fuel (compared with diesel and petrol), has been gaining ground in India, though only a handful of cities in the country like Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad have CNG retail outlets.

"The medium-term plan is to spread the use of CNG to as many as 42 cities," said the ministry official.