Currently to transport hydrogen for distribution in the imagined future hydrogen economy, people imagine the customary infrastructure of tank trucks or pipelines. Hydrogen gas can be compressed into tanks and carried by truck or liquid hydrogen can be transported by fitting a truck with cryogenic liquid capabilities. Similarly these techniques can be applied to rail cars or pipes. For long distances, and when high volume is needed, pipelines have proven to be the most cost-effective method for transporting hydrogen.

Keeping miles of pipes at high pressures or low tempertaures is very expensive, requires a lot of energy and has undeniable security concerns. Researchers are looking into storage of hydrogen in a solid matrix that is more easily managed than pressurized or liquified hydrogen gas. Problems arising from matrix storage include: reduction in hydrogen fuel per unit weight of storage medium and the energy and system required to extract the hydrogen from its matrix.

Although the problem of transport could be eliminated by local production of hydrogen, local production loses the benefit of large-scale production. This makes it more expensive to produce smaller quantities.[4]

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