Green shuttles to ferry athletes at the C’wealth

Dec 27: Athletes at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi will be able to hitch a ride on a one-of-a-kind shuttle designed by Indian space scientists, Isro sources said.
Not shuttles that roar into space but the silent non –polluting “green” variety that leave no trace of carbon, only a thin plume of water vapour. The technology and the fuel are derivatives from space technology that power cryogenic rocket engines.
With long term plans to induct it as public transport, the Indian space agency has teamed up with the automobile behemoth Tata Motors Ltd.
Says Dr V. Gnana Gandhi, former director of the cryogenic engine project at the space agency: “Hydrogen is the energy source of tomorrow and will be critical after the depletion of conventional sources of energy.”
Initial trials of the engines were successful. Unlike conventional diesel and CNG engines, which emit carbon monoxide Dr Gandhi said the engines do not spew carbon fumes. With fertilizer manufacturing companies and refineries generating 400 tons of hydrogen a day, such buses could operate in all urban centres. The sole byproduct, water, could be stored and recycled for gardening and other purposes.
The most conspicuous downside is the cost. At approximately Rs 70 lakhs, they are more expensive than CNG buses.