The Indian government has identified 10 highway stretches where green hydrogen trucks will soon begin operations, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced on Tuesday. The initiative, aimed at curbing vehicular pollution and advancing road transport decarbonization, will include hydrogen refuelling stations to be established by Indian Oil Corporation and Reliance Petroleum.
According to Gadkari, the pilot corridors will include Greater Noida–Delhi–Agra, Bhubaneswar–Puri–Konark, Ahmedabad–Vadodara–Surat, Sahibabad–Faridabad–Delhi, Jamshedpur–Kalinganagar, Thiruvananthapuram–Kochi, and Jamnagar–Ahmedabad, among others. These routes are expected to serve as testing grounds for hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles, laying the foundation for broader commercial adoption.
The minister noted that leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, including Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, and Volvo, have already started developing hydrogen-powered trucks. “Climate change is the biggest challenge faced by India, and green hydrogen can play a transformative role in reducing carbon emissions from transport,” he said.
Gadkari also underlined India’s potential to become the world’s largest exporter of green hydrogen, positioning the country as a central player in the global clean energy supply chain.
On the economic front, he highlighted the government’s progress in reducing logistics costs, which previously stood at 14–16% of GDP. Citing studies from IIM Bangalore, IIT Chennai, and IIT Kanpur, he said costs have already fallen by 6% and are expected to reach single digits by December this year.
Emphasizing infrastructure as the backbone of economic growth, Gadkari reiterated the government’s ambition to make India a $5 trillion economy and the third-largest globally. He added that India’s automobile industry could become the world’s largest within the next five years, driven by advancements in electric and hydrogen mobility.
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