Q41 · UPSC Prelims 2025 · Set A · Current Affairs and GK

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Consider the following types of vehicles:I.Full battery electric vehiclesII.Hydrogen fuel cell vehiclesIII.Fuel cell-electric hybrid vehiclesHow many of the above are considered as alternative powertrain vehicles?

A Only one
B Only two
C All the three
D None

Correct answer: (c) All the three

Explanation

  1. A

    Only one

    Only one. Battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell are both alternative powertrains, so the count is not one.

  2. B

    Only two

    Only two. That drops the fuel-cell-electric hybrid, which the official key counts as a third listed type.

  3. C

    All the three

    All the three. A full BEV, a hydrogen FCEV, and a fuel-cell-electric hybrid are all treated as alternative powertrain vehicles on this paper.

  4. D

    None

    None. These are electric-traction architectures, not a conventional ICE-only driveline.

Summary. Official Set A key is (c) all three. An alternative powertrain here means propulsion other than a plain internal-combustion driveline. A full battery-electric vehicle stores electricity and drives a motor. A hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle makes electricity on board and also drives a motor. A fuel-cell-electric hybrid still uses a fuel cell, with a battery buffer; UPSC counts it as a third listed type, not as a mere footnote to FCEV. So I, II and III are all in. (a) under-counts; (b) is the coaching split that treats the hybrid as a variant; (d) empties the list.