Written by PPL Newsroom• October 2, 2026• 8:51 am• Innovation

India’s hydrogen bus and truck trials grow to 70 vehicles and 16 refuelling stations

A second phase of government-backed pilots adds 33 vehicles in five states, as officials aim for 400–500 hydrogen buses and trucks on Indian roads by 2030.

India has doubled the size of its hydrogen transport trials. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has added seven pilot projects under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, bringing the total to 70 buses and trucks across 12 projects. The trials will show whether hydrogen can power heavy vehicles that battery-electric technology struggles to serve.

The numbers behind the expansion

The first phase, sanctioned in March 2025, covered five projects with 37 vehicles and nine refuelling stations. It includes 10 buses and 27 trucks, with sanctioned funding of Rs 207.91 crore.

The second phase adds seven projects. According to the minister’s reply in the Lok Sabha, these cover 17 buses and 16 trucks in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, with Rs 202.86 crore sanctioned. Taken together, the projects have been sanctioned about Rs 410.77 crore, of which Rs 41.582 crore has been released. That is roughly a tenth of the money so far, which suggests most vehicles have yet to be delivered.

The technology mix differs between the phases. In phase two, all 17 buses use hydrogen fuel cells. Of the 16 trucks, 13 run on hydrogen internal combustion engines and three on fuel cells. A fuel cell turns hydrogen into electricity on board. A hydrogen engine burns the gas in a modified conventional engine.

Examples of phase-two projects include NTPC Green Energy’s three 9-metre fuel-cell buses on the Kandla–Gandhidham route in Gujarat, and a Madhya Pradesh project using fuel-cell buses and two 55-tonne trucks on the Bina–Bhopal, Bina–Jhansi and Bina–Sanchi Stupa routes. The government’s viability gap funding covers 90 per cent of the costs of the seven phase-two projects.

What the trials are meant to answer

According to the ministry’s reply, performance data and operating experience will be used to judge techno-economic viability and shape future policy. Medium and heavy commercial vehicles carry large loads over long distances. Large battery packs add weight and take up space, which makes battery-electric options less practical for them.

On scale, Hydrogen Fuel News reports that officials are aiming for 45–50 trial vehicles on the road by 2026 and 400–500 in operation by 2030. That is lower than the figure given in mid-2025, when Mission Director Abhay Bakre said he hoped more than 1,000 trucks or buses would be in commercial use by 2030.

What this means for India

The trials are spread across states from Kerala to Himachal Pradesh, so different climates, routes and fuel suppliers get tested. Leh already shows hydrogen buses can run at altitude: five buses operate at 3,650 metres. Cost is still a hurdle, since each of those buses costs Rs 2.5 crore, nearly three times a luxury diesel bus. The pilots will show whether the economics can improve, and whether refuelling networks can follow demand.

What happens next

The first phase was expected to be commissioned within 18–24 months of March 2025. The data from these early fleets will matter more than the vehicle count. Fuel-cell and hydrogen-engine trucks are being run side by side, so the ministry will be able to compare reliability, fuel use and running costs on real routes. Those results are likely to guide how much public money goes into refuelling stations beyond the pilots.

Not every pilot is government-led. IndianOil is running a fleet of 15 hydrogen buses with Tata Motors. Together, the programmes give Indian planners a wider evidence base on where hydrogen fits alongside battery-electric transport.

Note: figures for the number of refuelling stations and funding vary slightly between reports. This article uses the ministry’s parliamentary figures where available.