Most hydrogen today is produced by reforming natural gas. At a station, hydrogen comes through a natural gas pipeline. In a small chamber, the natural gas is mixed with super-heated steam, which separates hydrogen from the natural gas molecule and from the water molecule. The hydrogen is compressed to 5,000 psi or 10,000 psi (also called 350 and 700 bar) and stored in cylinder-shaped tanks.

When a driver fills a vehicle, he or she enters a PIN on the dispenser and attaches the nozzle to the vehicle. It’s similar to filling a barbeque tank with propane, or putting air in a car tire. The vehicle fills in 3-5 minutes for 350 bar and 7-10 minutes for 700 bar. (At a higher pressure, dispensing is slower to regulate the temperature.)

The station in this picture is a Chevron station in Chino. It is one of several stations in California make hydrogen using this method, allowing them to produce large quantities of fuel as needed. Today, all the stations use natural gas, but stations in California may use reformation with natural methane (landfill or sewer gas).