Green Car Advisor

Our correspondent tries hydrogen rickshaw on for size.

By Nick Kurczewski, Contributor

NEW DELHI -- Squeezing into the non-existent passenger space of a vehicle built for one turned out to be the easy part.

The driver, seated in the center, and directly behind what looked to be a set of motorcycle handlebars, attempted to fire up the hydrogen-burning engine, again and again. 

A sputter, a grumble from the exhaust, one or two feet of forward motion, and then … nothing.  The bright blue three-wheeler’s one-cylinder two-stroke motor died, and the trike came to an abrupt stop.

India’s hydrogen-powered future faces similar false starts and the occasional stumble.

But the fact that the world’s 3rd largest economy (in purchasing power) has a roadmap for hydrogen in the first place – not to mention a Ministry of New and Renewable Energy – might come as something of a surprise to those who expect the country’s emissions regulations to be woefully outdated.

One of the quirkiest alternative energy vehicles on display at the New Dehli Auto Expo, and one that shows a logical step towards establishing the infrastructure necessary for hydrogen vehicles, is Mahindra’s three-wheeled, hydrogen-powered auto rickshaw – in Southeast Asia these vehicles are called tuk-tuks, due to the exhaust note of their small engines.

Known as the Hy-Alfa, Mahindra’s hydrogen rickshaw is capable of seating one, plus a payload in the pick-up bed located behind the passenger compartment. Dr. Arun Jaura, senior vice president of R&D and Product Development at Mahindra, assured us that the vehicle is a fully working prototype.

Not that we don’t trust him, but we couldn’t help but ask for proof. After pushing the Hy-Alfa outside, I squeezed into the space to the left of the driver. Apparently a few days sitting idle at the Auto Expo did not bode well for what is, despite its humble appearance, very much a pricey prototype. After a handful of tries, the trike finally fired up.

The Hy-Alfa has storage capacity of 1.08 kilos of hydrogen, which allows for a range of roughly 80 miles. However, our test ride would be considerably shorter.

Wheeling around the exhibition halls at parking-lot speeds as a passenger rather than driver does not make for a full road-test. But the three-wheeler felt punchy and had quick steering – very important attributes when darting around startled journalists.

For now, the likeliest first home for Mahindra’s hydrogen technology would be amongst India’s city buses and taxicab fleets.

That would make it easier to establish fueling stations which could be centralized to serve each fleet, using hydrogen that India's fuel makers could reform from the nation's plentiful supply of natural gas. A hydrogen and compressed natural gas blend also is being developed as a half-step measure.

In New Delhi, all auto rickshaws and buses have been fueled with compressed natural gas since 2000. According to Dr. Jaura, this cuts emissions by up to 40% – and has the added benefit of being much cheaper than gasoline or diesel fuel.

But the gains in air quality won by converting the rickshaws are quickly receding as more and more Indians are able to purchase new cars. The New York Times recently reported that New Delhi adds 650 vehicles to its roads every day.

Vehicles like the Hy-Alfa lack the sexy shapes -- and room, amenities, and power -- of the concept cars automakers are showing off in Detroit for the dozen days,  but they could  represent a huge first  step toward establishing India's hydrogen economy

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