EVs, Hydrogen Fuel Cells To Drive India's Future Mobility, Says KPIT Chairman

Vehicles powered by batteries and hydrogen fuel cells will emerge as India's choice for mobility as the nation focuses on a greener future, according to the head of KPIT Technologies Ltd., an automotive software services provider.

In the next decade and a half, India will enter a phase where clean fuels will power mobility, Ravi Pandit, chairman at KPIT Technologies, said in an interview with BloombergQuint's Niraj Shah. The fuel, he said, will be generated within the country.

He expects electric vehicles to dominate for travel within cities, and both hydrogen fuel and electric vehicles for inter-city transport.

On Dec. 16, Sentient Labs, an innovation hub incubated by KPIT Technologies and working along with the Government of India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and National Chemical Laboratory, showcased a bus that runs on hydrogen fuel cells.

“We believe that the bus design which we demonstrated is highly efficient and can make the hydrogen economy possible in India,” Pandit said.

The makers of India's first hydrogen fuel cell prototype car are also working on technology to generate hydrogen via biomass or stored energy from the sun.

The company is using the aerobic microbial method to generate hydrogen, which they consider to be 25% more efficient to conventional hydrogen manufacturing methods.

Pandit is confident that KPIT will play a major role in the “upcoming hydrogen revolution".

But KPIT, it's purely a technology play, he said. They don't want to be in the business of making hydrogen or hydrogen fuel cell buses; instead, they are focusing on the role of the core technology, said Pandit.

“Clean fuel is creating a tremendous tailwind with 78 countries along with India launching their hydrogen missions,” said Pandit.

“Launching of EVs and hydrogen fuel cell EVs along with trillions of dollars flowing into clean energy indicates that the time for a change in the mobility industry has arrived.”