Hydrogen-driven two and three wheelers are expected to hit Indian roads within next 24 months, Non-Conventional Energy Sources Secretary Ajay Vikram Singh said today.

India will be among the very few countries in the World to use the metal hydrates commercially, Mr Singh told a press conference here.

He said a pilot project for rolling out 50 such pollution free two and three wheelers is currently on at a research centre in Banaras in Uttar Pradesh.

Based on a large number of feedbacks from the institute, the first commercial venture project has been cleared. These scooters are expected to be made available within two years time.

He said, ''our priority is on reducing the vechile cost which is the ultimate factor to attract the buyers.'' A large number of private companies, including Bajaj and Mahindra and Mahindra, have already acquired this technology for setting up commercial ventures, he added.

Mr Singh said all over the world the companies using Non-Conventioal Energy Sources get hefty subsidies from their respective Governments. Some countries like Germany, Denmark and Spain have laws to have different tariff rates for the power generated from them. 

The Secretary addmitted that there is a huge gap between the potential and the actual generation of wind, hydro and solar power in the country.

Earlier, Non-conventional Energy Sources Minister M Kannappan distributed 24 awards to state nodal agencies for their meritorious performance in their respective fields of operation.