New Delhi | Amid air pollution in Delhi, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the central government is giving priority to alternative fuels, and he has started using Toyota's 'Mirai' hydrogen fuel-cell car.

"The futuristic fuel is hydrogen.. I have also got a car, which is hydrogen, and the car is from Toyota ... It gives the same comfort as Mercedes. The name of the car is Mirai, which is a Japanese word meaning future," Gadkari said during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha.

The Union minister said the import of fossil fuel is costing India Rs 22 lakh crore, and it is also creating a lot of pollution.

"Because of pollution, you are all facing the crucial problem; I am also facing the problem in Delhi," he said, as he expressed confidence that as India moves to alternative fuel, the country will become a net exporter of energy.

During 2024–25, India imported around 300 million metric tons of crude and petroleum products and exported about 65 million metric tons.

The country meets about 88 per cent of its crude oil and 51 per cent of its gas needs through imports.

Gadkari said the Centre is enabling policies to incentivise the use of alternative and bio-fuel, as it is important to move towards a cost-effective import substitute, pollution-free and indigenous fuel.

He further said India's automobile industry, with a size of Rs 22 lakh crore, has moved up to the third position in the world, surpassing Japan. The first is the United States with an auto industry size of Rs 79 lakh crore, and China is second with Rs 49 lakh crore.

"I am confident because of electric vehicle, with some years we will be number one (auto industry) of the world. We are supporting all the bio-fuel as for ecology and environment to prevent air pollution," Gadkari said, adding research is underway regarding a charging system for EVs.