India's Tata announces plans for hydrogen car

India -- already an established presence in the alternative fuels space -- has announced that it will be joining the US, Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands in rolling out a hydrogen-powered car next year. The country's space agency (ISRO) has teamed up with Tata Motors -- makers of the recently-revealed plastic car -- to develop a fuel cell vehicle whose only emissions will be water vapor, critical for a developing country whose pollution woes are only getting worse. According to ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair, while the hydro-car is scheduled for 2008 completion, mass production has yet to be determined.

[Thanks, Raghu]

[Kasi Viswanath @ Nov 23rd 2007 9:35AM]

Tata's are very big nowadays on innovation and bringing environmental friendly products to the market. They have teamed up this year (Feb, 07) with someone (I guess, MDI, France) to bring out an "Air Car". This car is supposed to run on Air! Their website, theaircar.com has some info and also the press note of The Tata's partnering with them.

Go Tata, Go!

[Jagannath A @ Nov 23rd 2007 11:28AM]

unfortunately TATA Motors's after-sales service is a POS

[Kasi Viswanath @ Nov 23rd 2007 2:28PM]

I would be more concerned about the quality of the product rather than its after sales service. Everything is not possible everytime. I have owned many items in the past and never did I have to call a service centre (probably because, I have done thorough research on the product). This may not be the case with everyone.

What matters to this post (or infact, what is highlighted here) is that, innovation in alternate fuel (efficient consumption of fuel) is the need of the hour.

And, now, Tata's are doing that and that too within a very affordable budget.

[Rob Conway @ Nov 23rd 2007 9:38AM]

an air car would be dope, but don't we already have hydrogen-powered cars?

[Rajib @ Jan 12th 2008 3:29AM]

thank you

[HiEdTechie @ Nov 23rd 2007 9:42AM]

Hope the air car hurries along before there is no air left to breathe.

[BlahBlah @ Nov 23rd 2007 9:49AM]

I'll take two!

[DorianGray @ Nov 23rd 2007 10:01AM]

I prefer a nice pair of Tata's as well...

someone had to do it...

[Backlin @ Nov 23rd 2007 11:35AM]

I was getting ready to say something...

[Dan @ Nov 23rd 2007 10:56AM]

New policy time: No copy should be presented without at least one photo of the device in question. Reuters also has a bad habit of doing this. No copy without a decent image. Molecular representations don't do it.

[tamoghno @ Nov 23rd 2007 2:48PM]

*** PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN ***

but i am waiting for their Rs.100000 Car. give me that baby

[durgesh @ Nov 24th 2007 11:59AM]

Just yesterday (well not quite)I was seeing a show on NAT Geo about fuel cell powered cars and was wondering if this technology would even be available in India at least at the time of my kids...
Am 20 now .. :P

And this news makes me happy!...

As for the after sale services, on Indian roads we see innumerable TATA and maruti suzuki cars...Their owners must be getting their car's services done from some where.. Lets go there :D

And introduction of this technology by an Indian company it self makes other companies (read maruti suzuki-- whose after sale services is much better) has a good competition and hopefully we will see more fuel cell cars in India.

Hope this car doesn't end up like the REVA.
TATA's should take care not just of the technology but also the design,a hydrogen powered indigo will be just fine for starters :D

LPG and CNG are no good as fuel substitutes, Hydrogen is the way to go :D

Plus is any company trying with the "hydrogen combustion" technology as fuel, I mean not the electric way , direct fuel.

[Martin @ Jan 2nd 2008 8:16PM]

I was just wondering if Tata could develop a concept car which would be ideal for India. The world is focussing on fuel cell, ethanol . These are not feasible. Fuell cell cars would need hydrogen, which means the same process like petrol. Production, storage and transportation, besides people can use these as bombs due to high flamibility. To add to that the cost of producing hydrogen is more expensive than petrol. The second is ethanol.Ethanol is okay, but more land is required to grow corn or other high yeild products to produce ethanol. In other word, mass deforestation. I think we may have to cut all the trees and even clear Amazon to grow crops to produce ethanol so that we can enjoy our cars. This will also drive the cost of food grains. Grains were made for food now it will be produced for fuel. More people will also die of hunger as the big guys will find it more profitable for fuel than to give it to the poor for food. The arabs are having a hearty laughs and the American are busy fooling the world in general making them believe in these things.

The only thing that will work is to create a car which runs on Lithium ion polymer battery. Divide the battery into two groups A) Primary B) Secondary
This must be placed in its entirety by creating special compartment.
below the seats. Run the car on electric motor using primary batttery. alterantively have a small gas motor which runs on thanol. The job of this motor is only to charge the batteries. When the primary battery is discharged the gas motor will begin charging and the during this period the car will use secondary battery. Once at home or where ever if electric socket is available then the car will charger it self from the grid. Bozos do this and the world will be saved. You don;t require to change any infrastructure.

[prasanna balaji @ Feb 1st 2008 8:03AM]

i am intrested in hydrogen as fuel project

[prasanna balaji @ Feb 2nd 2008 2:11AM]

hydrogen car very use ful every one .... so pl concentrate on that product