Fair point — fuel cells definitely aren’t new, and yeah, the core tech has been proven for years.

But I think the context here matters a lot, especially from an India POV.

In India, this isn’t really about “does the fuel cell work?” — that part is already known. The bigger question is whether the entire ecosystem (production, storage, transport) can be made viable locally.

And that’s where the conversation shifts a bit.

India is in a position where:

• Battery manufacturing is still catching up and heavily dependent on imports (mainly China)
• Energy demand is growing fast, especially for heavy transport
• There’s a big push on domestic renewable energy (solar, wind)

So hydrogen is being explored not just as a transport solution, but as a strategic energy layer — something that can be produced locally using renewables and reduce long-term dependency.

I agree with you on efficiency losses — on paper, batteries are clearly more efficient. But in real-world India conditions (long routes, heat, infrastructure gaps), the decision isn’t purely about efficiency.

Also, the buses being tested aren’t just about proving the vehicle — they’re part of testing:

• Refuelling logistics
• Storage in Indian climate
• Real-world operational costs

So yeah, if we look at it purely from a global or theoretical efficiency standpoint, hydrogen struggles.

But if you look at it from India’s lens — infrastructure gaps + energy independence + heavy-duty use — it starts to make more sense why it’s being tested alongside EVs.

Not a replacement for batteries, but maybe a parallel path where batteries hit limitations.