Ashok Leyland plans to introduce its first hydrogen-powered trucks in India by 2027. Supported by government GST reforms and the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the Hinduja Group company views hydrogen as the next significant step after electric vehicles, with strategic partnerships driving innovation in clean mobility.
Chennai-based truck and bus manufacturer Ashok Leyland will commercially launch its first hydrogen-powered vehicle in the country within the next two years, managing director and CEO Shenu Agarwal told sources.
“The technology has reached a certain maturity level where we can confidently say that we can roll it out commercially,” Agarwal said.
Hydrogen is regarded as the cleanest form of energy, producing only water as a by-product. It offers greater advantages for long-distance transport, including lighter weight, higher energy efficiency, and up to fifty per cent lower fuel consumption compared with conventional fuels. Hydrogen-powered vehicles also provide longer driving ranges.
The government is encouraging the automotive sector to adopt hydrogen in the long term. The recent GST reform, effective from September 22, has reduced the GST on fuel cell motor vehicles, including hydrogen vehicles, from twelve per cent to five per cent.
Ashok Leyland has been in the electric vehicle space for eight years, beginning with electric buses. The company has since expanded into light and heavy-duty trucks and is now moving into battery cell manufacturing for EVs.
“The first step was to develop all the alternative powertrains like EV, hydrogen and LNG. I believe we have reached a stage where we can confidently say that we can commercialise these technologies. That is why we have started to sell EV and LNG powered trucks,” Agarwal said at the 65th SIAM annual convention in Delhi.
Earlier partnerships include Reliance Industries for hydrogen internal combustion engine heavy-duty trucks, flagged off by the Prime Minister in 2023, and a collaboration with Adani Group and Canada’s Ballard Power to develop fuel cell electric trucks.
Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the government has approved five pilot projects for hydrogen vehicles, covering thirty-seven buses and trucks and nine hydrogen refuelling stations across ten routes. Fifteen vehicles will use hydrogen fuel cells, and twenty-two will operate on hydrogen internal combustion engines. With financial support of 208 crore rupees from the government, these pilots are expected to be operational within the next eighteen to twenty-four months, paving the way for wider adoption.
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