Six Month Trial On 50 Cluster Buses Started With Inaugural Ceremony
With the inauguration of the Hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (HCNG) plant and its dispensing station at Rajghat, the 6 month trial for the HCNG based buses on a fleet of 50 cluster buses of the Rajghat depot started on Tuesday of this week.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan with his senior officials from his ministry, Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot and other ministers of the transport department, Indian oil corporation limited and Indraprastha gas limited.
The Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot inaugurated the plant and he told PTI that this HCNG fuel is the cleanest and is environment friendly, this HCNG plant will give rise to a Hydrogen economy.
Delhi NCR as being the capital of the country is now promoting environmentally conscious transporting policies by adopting this clean fuel and scaling up the usage of electric vehicles.
The reason for moving to this HCNG fuel is that it emits 70 percent less carbon monoxide, reduces total hydrocarbon emissions by 15 percent, and increases fuel efficiency by 3-4 percent.
The transport minister also said that once the trails are completed the HCNG fuel will be scaled up to all other busses and private vehicles too.
According to the study, the plant can produce four tones of HCNG fuel per day. The plant has been set up by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) in collaboration with Delhi transport, the collaboration is beneficial as the production of HCNG by IOCL is 22 percent cheaper than any other conventional physical blending said the Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA) chief Bhure Lal.
The Delhi transport department has provided 15 crore funds for setting up the plant and for the effective study of the fuel, the major reasons behind this scaling up of HCNG fuel-based vehicles are because it very economical, environment friendly and the power output of HCNG is far better than CNG.
50 cluster buses of the Rajghat depot has been marked by the transport department for holding the ongoing 6 months trails successfully.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has also notified about this HCNG as fuel back In September 2020
HCNG is the first step for the Hydrogen economy and it can be used in the place of LPG, diesel, gasoline. The combustion of HCNG fuel produces only a few undesirable gases as compared to all other automobile fuels.
The trails are likely to be completed by April 2021 and after the completion, the detailed report of performance will be submitted to the Supreme Court of India by EPCA.
H-CNG a Solution for Delhi’s pollution
