On the eve of World Environment Day, the government committed itself to one green technology that may define the future — it has set 2020 as the target year to have 1 million carbon-free hydrogen vehicles on the road.

While many international auto majors, including Honda, Daimler-Chrysler, BMW, Ford, General Motors, have revealed such models, affordable styles are still about five to 10 years away — for a single hydrogen car today, the price tag is $1 million. In India, all models are only at the demonstration stage with no on-road prototype ready yet. Honda FCX is the world’s only fuel-cell vehicle certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

At a conclave organised by the CII today, R. Chidambaram, principal scientific advisor to the Prime Minister; Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission and Ratan Tata, representing the industry, endorsed the National Hydrogen Energy roadmap and decided to prioritise action plans needed to put these vehicles on the road.

The key areas identified for research:

• Production: While the goal is to produce hydrogen from water, the view now is not to wait for that ultimate breakthrough but start producing hydrogen from industrial effluents (chlor-alkali byproducts) and even domestic waste. S. Banerjee, director, Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, is upbeat on the solar and the nuclear options for splitting water to get hydrogen and work has already started on this.

• Storage: It can be stored in solid, liquid and gaseous form. The Benaras Hindu University did groundbreaking work on hydrides that store hydrogen in solid form, considered the safest method. The BHU team has been asked to come up with 50 two-wheelers in the next few years.

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