Most hydrogen used in the United States is produced at or very near where it is used, typically at large industrial sites. As a result, there is not yet an effective infrastructure for distributing hydrogen to the nationwide network of fueling stations that is required for widespread use of fuel cell vehicles.
Currently, hydrogen is most often distributed in the following three ways. For more information, see Hydrogen Distribution and Delivery Infrastructure (PDF 366 KB). Download Adobe Reader.
Pipelines—This least-expensive way to deliver large volumes of hydrogen is limited, with only about 700 miles of pipelines in the United States located near large petroleum refineries and chemical plants in Illinois, California, and the Gulf Coast.
High-pressure tube trailers—Transporting compressed hydrogen gas by truck, railcar, ship, or barge in high-pressure tube trailers is expensive and used primarily for distances of 200 miles or less.
Liquefied hydrogen tankers—Cryogenic liquefaction enables hydrogen to be transported more efficiently over longer distances by truck, railcar, ship, or barge compared with using high-pressure tube trailers, even though the liquefaction process is expensive.
Creating an infrastructure to distribute hydrogen to thousands of individual fueling stations presents many challenges. Because hydrogen contains less energy per unit volume than fuels such as gasoline, transporting, storing, and delivering it to the end use are more expensive. Building a new hydrogen pipeline network involves high initial capital costs, and hydrogen's properties present unique challenges to pipeline and compressor design. However, because hydrogen can be produced from a wide variety of resources, regional or even local production of hydrogen can maximize use of local resources and minimize issues with distribution.
There are tradeoffs between centralized and distributed production to consider. Producing hydrogen centrally in large plants cuts production costs but boosts distribution costs. Producing hydrogen at the point of end-use—at fueling stations, for example—cuts distribution costs but boosts production costs because of relatively low production volumes.
Government and industry research and development projects are overcoming the barriers to efficient hydrogen distribution. Learn more from the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program Web site.