Toyota unveils project for India's first fuel cell electric car

[NEW DELHI] Toyota Motor has unveiled a project to introduce India's first hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric car as one of the biggest emerging car markets looks to expedite its transition to clean transport.

Local unit Toyota Kirloskar Motor will work with the government's testing agency International Centre for Automotive Technology to study the fuel cell electric car Mirai for Indian roads and climatic conditions, the automaker said in a statement Wednesday (Mar 16).

The project is crucial for India, which is lagging many other countries, such as China and the US, in adopting electric vehicles even though the South Asian nation has vowed to become net carbon zero by 2070. About 53 per cent of new car sales in India will be electric models by 2040, compared with 77 per cent in China, BloombergNEF estimates. High upfront cost of battery-powered vehicles, range anxiety and lack of charging stations have hindered the clean shift.

The adoption of green hydrogen will play a key role in securing a "clean and affordable energy future for India," the ministry of road transport said in a statement Wednesday. The project will enable India to become energy self-reliant by 2047 and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. A fuel cell electric vehicle is more environmentally friendly as it has no tailpipe emissions other than water, the ministry said. BLOOMBERG