Reva to co-develop fuel cell hydrogen cars with IOC

Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) have signed a statement of intent to develop two fuel cell hydrogen vehicles.

This is part of a pilot project initiated by IOC towards development of hydrogen economy in India. The total cost of the project is around Rs 15 crore and is jointly funded by RECC and IOC.

The first prototype from Reva should be out in 6-8 months and the second one within the next 12-18 months.

RECC will use its electric vehicle technology to develop fuel cell hydrogen cars with fuel cell stacks to be supplied by Hydrogenics Corporation of Canada.

In the first phase, two fuel cell hydrogen-powered cars will be developed, after which a fleet of 10-20 cars will be rolled out at other heritage destinations. IOC will provide the infrastructure needed to supply and stock hydrogen as well as its vehicle testing facilities at its R&D centre in Faridabad.

Said Sudarshan Maini, chairman, RECC: "Fuel cell systems offer a promising technology of the future with advantages that include zero emissions, high efficiency and minimal noise. This prototype when rolled out will have a range of close to 150 km on a hydrogen fill of 1.2 kg."

Reva has been using fuel cell hydrogen cells in its existing electric cars as range extenders and the move to develop hydrogen-powered vehicles will catapult Reva into the league of auto majors such as General Motors, Toyota and Mercedes Benz who have been developing similar prototypes.

In addition to this project, Reva is looking at extending its electricity-powered platform to smaller buses and other vehicle models. The company also intends to close a $15 million funding deal from a clutch of overseas financial and strategic investors for its future expansion plans.