New Delhi: In a significant milestone towards promoting sustainable, eco-friendly transportation solutions, IndianOil has handed over a state-of-the-art green hydrogen fuel cell bus to the Indian Navy. This landmark event was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IndianOil and the Indian Navy to pioneer the deployment of hydrogen fuel cell technology for heavy-duty e-mobility.

In the presence of Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of Naval Staff, S M Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil and senior officials of IndianOil and Indian Navy, the MoU was exchanged between Vice Admiral, Deepak Kapoor, Controller of Logistics, Indian Navy and Dr Kannan Chandrasekaran, Executive Director, IndianOil at the Nau Sena Bhawan, New Delhi.

Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, the Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy shared his thoughts on the collaboration, stating, "The partnership between IndianOil and the Indian Navy is built on an unbreakable bond of trust. We will be testing one of the hydrogen buses and looking forward to deploying environment-friendly transportation in larger numbers, and I must thank IndianOil for choosing the Indian Navy as their partner. The bus will adorn our motto of - 'Indian Navy - Combat Ready, Credible, Cohesive and Future Ready Force'. "

S M Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil, expressed his enthusiasm about this initiative, stating, “Today, we come together to celebrate a significant milestone in our shared pursuit of sustainability and environmental stewardship, through this advanced Green Hydrogen fuel cell bus to the Indian Navy, symbolizing our commitment to innovation and green technology.” He further added, “As we continue to support our defence forces with innovative, forward-looking solutions that cater to tomorrow’s needs. IndianOil has been leading the way in advancing Green hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.” It is pertinent to mention here that IndianOil is currently operating 15 fuel cell buses in Delhi-NCR and Gujarat, accumulating a total mileage of 300,000 kilometres, where each bus is expected to run at least 20000 kms.

This initiative aims to promote hydrogen and fuel cell technology for heavy-duty e-mobility, positioning the Indian Navy as a pioneer in evaluating this technology in collaboration with IndianOil, the premier energy company of India. The project will assess the performance of fuel cell electric buses for public transit in the demanding climatic conditions of the Delhi NCR region, analysing the impact of local fuel and air quality on the performance of fuel cell systems and vehicles. Additionally, it will evaluate the effectiveness, longevity, and operational reliability of fuel cell buses intended for public fleet utilization. /BI/