Mahindra & Mahindra, the leading utility vehicle manufacturer in India, has unveiled its three-wheeler HyAlfa at the Delhi Auto Expo 2012. The HyAlfa has positioned the Mahindra Group as the world’s first manufacturer to have produced a three wheeler that is powered with hydrogen. The company is planning to initiate a demonstration drive named ‘DelHy 3w’ at Pragati Maidan, where a cluster of 15 HyAlfa three-wheelers will run as a part of this drive.
The hydrogen fuelled three-wheeler HyAlfa, is the result of collaborated efforts of the Mahindra & Mahindra, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (ICHET), Ministry of New and Renewable Energy along with the extended support of IIT Delhi.
The General Manager(R & D), Mahindra & Mahindra, Dr. Mathew Abraham was quoted as saying, “The HyAlfa is the first vehicle of its kind in the world. It runs on nothing but compressed hydrogen gas and is incredibly engineered to run with absolutely zero emissions, which makes it a pleasure to drive on congested city roads. Hydrogen is, in fact, the technology and fuel of tomorrow and is the long term solution to pollution, energy security & CO2 emission related concerns.”
The HyAlfa will hit the market in both passenger and cargo variants and is capable of delivering top mileage of around 65 km/hr on city roads. This cutting edge technology is aimed at providing eco friendly mobility solutions. However, the vehicle has not yet phased out for commercial production as this hydrogen fuelled vehicle has not proved itself as commercial viable.
The estimated price of the vehicle on mass production is approximately Rs. 20000 costlier than CNG three wheeler. Huge capital would be invested in further research and development of this vehicle, which will render the vehicle to be more competent as compared to the CNG powered three-wheelers.
