India to launch green hydrogen truck corridors on 10 highways, says Gadkari

The initiative, aimed at curbing vehicular pollution and decarbonising road transport, will also see hydrogen refuelling stations established along these corridors by Indian Oil Corporation and Reliance Petroleum.

The pilot corridors include major routes such as Greater Noida-Delhi-Agra, Bhubaneswar-Puri-Konark, Ahmedabad-Vadodara-Surat, Sahibabad-Faridabad-Delhi, Jamshedpur-Kalinganagar, Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi, and Jamnagar-Ahmedabad. These stretches will serve as testing grounds for hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles, paving the way for wider commercial adoption in the coming years.

Gadkari noted that major commercial vehicle manufacturers, including Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, and Volvo, have already begun developing hydrogen-powered trucks, signaling industry readiness for a green transition. “Climate change is the biggest challenge faced by India, and green hydrogen can play a transformative role in reducing carbon emissions from transport,” he said, adding that India has the potential to become the world’s largest exporter of green hydrogen, strengthening its role in the global clean energy supply chain.      The minister also emphasized the need to reduce logistics costs to boost manufacturing competitiveness. According to studies by IIM Bangalore, IIT Chennai, and IIT Kanpur, road logistics costs, previously at 14-16% of GDP, have already dropped by 6%. “By December this year, logistics costs will come down to single digits,” Gadkari asserted.

Highlighting infrastructure as the backbone of economic growth, Gadkari reiterated the government’s ambition to make India a $5 trillion economy and the world’s third-largest economy. He further said that India’s automobile industry could emerge as the number one globally within the next five years, powered by new technologies such as electric and hydrogen mobility.