Govt Committed To Shift Public Transport And Logistics To 100 Per Cent Green Energy: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said the government is committed to shifting public transport and logistics to 100 per cent green and clean sources of energy.

Addressing the Symposium on International Automotive Technology, he said the national hydrogen mission seeks to develop hydrogen technologies to benefit the mobility sector and make India the leader in producing and using green hydrogen.

The Minister said 70 per cent of Green hydrogen production costs come from electricity costs. Hence, surplus electricity from renewable energy sources can completely change the economics of production of green hydrogen production.

He said Green Hydrogen is termed as the fuel of the future, and it is the only fuel that can help us achieve the mission of ‘Zero Carbon Emissions.’

The Minister said the recently launched Production Linked Incentive scheme aims to boost ‘Advanced automotive technology products’ in the Indian auto sector, which help to lower fossil fuel emissions.

Gadkari said the government expects the scheme would lead to a new investment of more than Rs 42,500 crore and the creation of additional 7.5 lakh jobs in the sector.

He said as far as public transportation is concerned, the need of the hour is to develop import substitute, cost-effective, pollution-free, and indigenous mobility solutions for India and dependence on imported crude oil needs to be reduced.

He noted the government also plans to introduce flex-fuel vehicles, which allow operation of the vehicles on 100 per cent ethanol and petrol. He said flex engine-based vehicles are already running in the USA, Brazil, and Canada. He said technology is readily available, and it is just a matter of time to take that leap that will transform the transport landscape of India forever.

The Minister said the safety scenario on Indian roads needs improvement as every year approximately 1.5 lakh people die on Indian roads in almost five lakh accidents. He said the concept of Zero Vision, which is achieving zero accidents and zero loss of life, is being adapted in India similar to European countries.