Real World tests are proving the potential of long-haul hydrogen fuel cell CVS. Prateek Pardeshi looks at India’s first fuel cell technology-driven bus from Sentient Labs to study the claim.
Technology company, Sentient Labs is aggressively pursuing their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes contributing to vision zero-emission as a boost to sustainable mobility through technology suited for commercial vehicles including both buses and trucks. Working on moving away from older generation Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) to cleaner powertrains that are BSVI compliant in India to looking at pure Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) to hydrogen fuel cell electric drivetrains, the company, with support from policy interventions like FAME-II and the PLI schemes, joins the industry evolution, which in hindsight has done exceedingly well to meet the many challenges thrown its way.
To give a perspective, a significant portion of Intermediate and Light Commercial Vehicles to the tune of 45 per cent are known to have shifted to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). In FY21, CV OEMs have seen the share of sales of CNG I&LCV trucks (five to 16-tonne GVW) catapult in double-digit. CNG penetration alone in Light & Medium Duty (LMD) trucks is expected to rise from nine per cent of the Total Industry Volumes (TIV) to about 30 per cent by 2030. Then there are levers of conversion from diesel to LNG cited by experts in the case of large trucks and tipper fleets. In this mix, notably, by 2023-24 or 2024-25 Hydrogen could establish itself as the fuel of choice for long-haul trucks and buses. This explains why technology companies like Sentient Labs (Sentient) are betting big on Hydrogen to offer open access solutions to OEMs looking to offer a hydrogen-based fuel cell powered solution. Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered vehicles match BEVs when it comes to their claim to offer net zero tailpipe emissions. On the flip side, pure EV OEMs have been working hard to address range anxiety and charge time. Albeit acquisition costs continue to be work under progress. According to Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, Member of Board of Directors, Sentient Labs, the Hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles outdo BEVs by a fair margin. With its new product, claimed to be India’s first hydrogen fuel cell technology powered bus integrated on a Eicher manufactured nine meter platform christened Celesta, developed in Pune, the R&D innovation lab based on KPIT Technologies Ltd.-incubated technologies, has developed the technology in collaboration with CSIR-NCL (National Chemical Laboratory) and CSIR-CECRI (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) (Central Electrochemical Research Institute). Commenting on the significant development, Dr Mashelkar explained how the effort by Sentient Labs stands out from similar attempts the world over. “At Sentient, challenges that are core to India are understood, and solutions are developed. Digitalisation, decentralisation and decarbonisation is what India needs for sustainable mobility and these innovations from Sentient will go a long way,” he asserted. Notably, CV major Tata Motors showcased the Tata Starbus Fuel Cell bus back at its Pune plant in 2017. The OEM recently bagged an order of 15 hydrogen-based fuel cell buses from Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. The two (IOCL and Tata Motors) are known to jointly undertake projects and collectively study further the potential of fuel cell technology for commercial vehicles testing, maintaining and operating these buses for public transport in real-world conditions. The buses will be refuelled with hydrogen generated and dispensed by IOCL. As per reports, Ballard Power Systems has received a purchase order for 15 of the Company’s 70kW FCmoveTM-HD fuel cell modules from Tata Motors. Ballard is known to be working closely with Tata Motors to ensure seamless integration of the eighth-generation engine into its FCEB design.
Setting it apart
In comparison to Tata Motors, Sentient Labs, to ensure the complex technology’s longevity has sourced high-tech fuel cell filters from Freudenberg Filtration Technologies. The micronAir® filters are claimed to keep the fuel cells running despite tough weather conditions and exposure to pollutants such as ammonia. Sentient Labs is banking on a framework built around hydrogen storage cylinders, liquid cooled battery packs, fuel cells and an alternate powertrain which runs on energy developed by the fuel cell to stand out. The fuel cell generates electricity for the bus by combining hydrogen and air. The bus’s only effluent is water to stake a claim on being the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation. The fuel cell comes into the picture as a key cog in the wheel that is the backbone of chemical energy in the form of hydrogen converting to electricity to in turn power the electric motor that ultimately propelled the vehicle. The efficiency of the fuel cell is said to be an estimated 50 per cent.
The powertrain is mounted under the chassis, just like a normal ICE bus. Battery packs used in this vehicle comply with Indian as well as European standards from the homologation perspective. Dr Mashelkar shared that the battery packs have been tested on roads, covering over six lakh kilometres. The powertrain, claimed to have been entirely developed and integrated in India, has helped Sentient to introduce an additional 20 per cent efficiency, overall.
Sentient Labs has designed and developed key components such as the balance of plant, powertrain, and battery pack entirely in-house, in addition to the localised hydrogen fuel cell technology as per Dr Mashelkar. All of these elements have been installed on a nine-metre long, 32-seater, air-conditioned bus. The bus is claimed to clock a 450 km range on 30 kilograms of hydrogen. It can be fully-charged in under 20 minutes.
The company expects to benefit from a modular architecture that is said to allow any design changes pertaining to custom needs of range and operating conditions. Elaborating further on the modularity, Ravi Pandit, Chairman of Sentient Labs, said, “We are not bus manufacturers, we develop sustainable technologies and this system is modular and can be fitted to any OEM bus.” Citing the example of over a million single diesel buses travelling long distances and emitting 100-tonne CO2 per year, Sentient as per the Chairman has successfully combined its technologies for not only an environment friendly but economically appealing proposition to operators. Of the opinion that hydrogen generation technology can provide farmers with an alternative source of income, the replacement of diesel buses with fuel cell buses will help Indians go a long way on attaining the SDGs for transportation. “We envision that the solution will see widespread adoption powered by several partnerships. Our efforts will also be pivotal in enabling vehicle makers and suppliers to build a net-zero carbon path in India,” he stated.
Nascent stage in India
Fuel cell technology has been an area of research for decades worldwide, but still fuel cell technology is in its nascent stage in India. Per kilogram production cost of green hydrogen in India is estimated to be Rs.500 (factory-gate cost of Rs.4-7) in comparison to grey hydrogen at Rs.150 per kg. India can take a cue from several global initiatives to lower production costs. Late last year, Germany put Euro 900 mn (USD one bn) into a funding scheme to support green hydrogen. If the vision to establish hydrogen as a long-haul fuel is to be attained by 2024-25, companies like Sentient Labs building stable, road-ready solutions and the desired ecosystem must find support. The recent green hydrogen policy could be the stepping stone if it succeeds to bring down production costs by 40-50 per cent.
