Two supply options are available for hydrogen, one is based on hydrogen that is produced at a central location and delivered to your fueling station; and the other on hydrogen produced locally at your fueling station. The current technologies used to generate hydrogen include the following methods:

Reforming–A large percentage of hydrogen is produced by the steam reforming of hydrocarbons, primarily natural gas. Steam reforming generates hydrogen from the hydrocarbon and water at high temperatures in catalytic reactors.  The hydrogen is typically purified using pressure swing adsorption. 

Hydrogen reforming plants have traditionally been operated for large capacity users. However, now hydrogen generation can also be done at lower capacities (<500 kg/day) through the use of small, on-site hydrogen generators.

Electrolysis–Electrolysis produces hydrogen by using an electrical current to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. Because this method requires significant power, it is not economically feasible for all applications. However, electrolysis is useful in niche applications such as where a hydrogen infrastructure does not exist, where hydrocarbon fuels are not available or where there is a renewable energy source available such as hydro, solar or wind power.

Hydrogen Recovery–Hydrogen is also produced by recovery from industrial process streams using technologies such as reaction processors and pressure swing adsorption.

Hydrogen can be delivered to your site by truck as a liquid or compressed gas, or it can be generated on-site. It is also delivered in pipelines, however, locations are limited. In addition, Air Products is developing new equipment specifically designed for fueling vehicles, such as the Air Products Hydrogen Fueler. 

For hydrogen delivered by truck, the level of on-site storage is generally determined by the distribution method being used and usage quantities. Hydrogen is typically stored on-site in cryogenic liquid storage tanks. The product can be off-loaded from the delivery truck directly to the storage tank or provided in compressed tubes. The Air Products Hydrogen Fueler contains it own storage capability. 

For on-site production, the hydrogen usage level must be considered along with reliability of supply. There must be enough hydrogen available when it is required. Typically there is a trade-off between the cost of storage versus the cost of lower utilization of the production equipment.

The fuel delivery system covers the function of getting the hydrogen to the correct pressure and into the vehicle tank in a safe manner. 

Gaseous compression is required unless liquid hydrogen is the source, in which case, a cryogenic liquid pump and vaporizer can be used. To achieve fast-fill capability, which is expected by many fleet users, high-pressure storage that is greater than the onboard vehicle storage tank pressure is required. A dispensing unit including system controls and communications between vehicle and the fueling station is also required.