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From the industrial sprawl of Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar refinery to the frost-bitten heights of Leh and the traffic-choked avenues of New Delhi, a quiet shift is underway in India’s commercial vehicle (CV) sector. Hydrogen-powered trucks and buses — once a speculative future — are now rolling out onto the country’s roads, driven by auto giants like Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors. Others are not far behind… Ashok Leyland, for instance, made headlines in 2023 when it unveiled the country’s first hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2-ICE) truck, developed in collaboration with Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL). Since then, over 20 of these heavy-duty vehicles have clocked nearly 250,000 kilometres, and have rivalled the efficiency of traditional ICE vehicles.