Press Release

Pune, India | December 15, 2021: Sentient Labs, an R&D innovation lab based on KPIT Technologies Ltd-incubated technologies, demonstrated India’s first truly Indian developed Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus. The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology was developed in collaboration with CSIR-NCL (National Chemical Laboratory) and CSIR-CECRI (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) (Central Electrochemical Research Institute).

Sentient Labs’ vision is to develop technology solutions for sustainable mobility, with an emphasis on hydrogen-powered technologies at the moment.
It has identified bottlenecks in battery technology, fuel cell technology, and hydrogen generation technologies. Sentient recently announced the world’s first technology for directly generating hydrogen from agricultural residue for use in fuel cell-powered vehicles. This technology adds to the growing list of efforts aimed at achieving sustainable mobility. Sentient Labs designed and developed key components such as the Balance of Plant, Powertrain, and Battery Pack entirely in-house, in addition to the hydrogen fuel cell technology. All of these elements have been installed on a 9-meter-long, 32-seater air-conditioned bus. This is intended to have a range of 450 kilometres while using 30 kgs of hydrogen. Modular architecture allows for design changes to meet the needs of the range and operating conditions.

The fuel cell generates electricity for the bus by combining hydrogen and air. The bus’s only effluent is water, making it possibly the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation.  In comparison, a single diesel bus travelling long distances emits 100 tonnes of CO2 per year, and there are over a million of them in India. Combining both Sentient technologies can be an environmentally friendly and economically appealing proposition. While hydrogen generation technology can provide farmers with an alternative source of income, replacing diesel buses with Hydrogen Fuel Cell buses will significantly improve air quality while also lowering oil import costs. Sentient Labs is dedicated to helping India achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for transportation by developing clean and smart technologies.

Mr Ravi Pandit, Chairman of Sentient Labs, said, “We are proud to launch an indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cell power bus. A strong technical team along with CSIR-NCL worked on several technology components. This will go a long way in powering Hydrogen Mission, AatmaNirbhar Bharat and importantly sustainable mobility. 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.”

Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, Member of Board of Directors, Sentient Labs, said “World over, efforts related to green hydrogen revolution are on, but Sentient Labs stands out. At Sentient, challenges that are core to India are understood, and solutions are developed. Digitization, decentralisation and decarbonization are what India needs for sustainable mobility and these innovations from Sentient will go a long way.”

Also read, Hydrogen Fuel Cell CVs