Putting their expertise of the homegrown cryogenic technology for rockets to use, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) scientists have successfully developed a project which will further enhance their reputation - hydrogen fuel cells to power an automobile bus.

After two years of tedious efforts, the scientists are now readying for the fuel cells to be fitted into a bus. In fact, the first proto-model of the bus is already assembled and is expected to hit the road by next year.

The bus which would be on the lines of CNG model will have hydrogen stored in eight bottles at high pressure atop the bus. Hydrogen would be fed to the fuel cells, which would then produce 80 kw of electric power to drive the bus. However, the cost of running hydrogen-fuel powered buses would be higher than the conventional vehicles run on diesel.

Leading the technical team in this project is Honorary Adviser of ISRO, V Gnana Gandhi, who said ISRO and Tata Motors entered into a MoU in 2006, for the design and development of an automobile bus using hydrogen as a fuel through fuel cell route.

The Tatas will handle the locomotive part and hydrogen handling system of the bus.

Chairman of ISRO, G Madhavan Nair told PTI: “That’s not exactly the cryogenic technology... It’s liquid hydrogen handling and that’s where we have some expertise. So, we have finalized the design.”