NEW DELHI — The transport ministry announced this week that trials of hydrogen-powered vehicles were under way on ten national routes, notwithstanding the absence of anywhere for the public to buy hydrogen.

Speaking at an industry awards event, the minister called hydrogen the "future of the transportation industry," a characterisation supported by its current production cost of Rs 300 to Rs 400 per kilogram, which ensures it will remain in the future for some time. The trials build on the 2021 National Hydrogen Mission, a Rs 19,744 crore programme targeting five million tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030, whose most visible output so far has been announcements.

"The pilots demonstrate real intent," a ministry spokesperson said, standing beside the minister's own hydrogen vehicle. "Critics point to high costs and the near-total absence of fuelling stations, but that overlooks the development narrative these trials provide."

For the foreseeable decade, officials confirmed, the fuel of the future would continue to cost several times more than the fuel of the present, and would remain available in roughly the same number of public places: none.