I first talked about the Hy-Alfa (at that time it was hyphenated) in August 2009. Back then it was something that was being worked on in India, but there were no guarantees that it would ever make it to the testing phase.
Now, a fleet of HyAlfa (no hyphen) three-wheel vehicles have been rolled out to be tested in everyday use. The HyAlfa uses an internal combustion engine which has been converted from running CNG to running compressed hydrogen gas.
According to The Hindu, “The project took three years and over $1 million. Part of a development project dubbed DelHy 3w, a fleet of 15 HyAlfa three-wheelers will run on an experimental basis at Pragati Maidan, where a hydrogen refueling station has also been set up.
“The India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), which organizes trade fairs at Pragati Maidan, will use the vehicles on an experimental basis.”
The HyAlfa gets around 48 miles per gallon equivalent and will help develop the untapped sector of three-wheel hydrogen vehicles.