Stop buying hydrogen from tube trailers. Nel Hydrogen’s S, H, and C Series PEM electrolyzers produce 99.999% pure H₂ on demand — at the scale you need, at up to 435 psig to feed storage and booster compressors, with zero supply chain dependency.
Enter what you pay today — gas, rental, and delivery charges. We’ll show your true cost per kilogram, the Nel electrolyzer sized to your demand, and what the same hydrogen costs in electricity on site.
Example numbers — replace them with your own bill. Cylinder price ($58.05, industrial grade, 261 cu ft) and first-year rental rate ($0.27/day) from Penn State General Stores’ online price list (accessed October 2026). Tube-trailer price ($0.04/cu ft) is Red Ball Oxygen’s online list price for a hydrogen mini tube trailer, October 2026. Electricity rates are EIA averages for the industrial sector, July 2026 (preliminary). Electrolyzer power figures are system values from Nel Hydrogen’s S, H and C Series spec sheets (beginning of life).
Delivered cost minus on-site electricity for the electrolyzer. Excludes equipment, installation, maintenance, cooling/chiller power, water treatment and any compression, which we quote per site. Nel’s power figures are beginning-of-life; energy use rises as the stack ages.
Equipment pricing depends on your pressure, purity, storage and installation, so we send it directly rather than publish it. Tell us where to send it and we’ll reply within one business day with a payback estimate for this scenario.
From a single fuel cell forklift bay to a multi-unit fleet fueling depot, Nel’s PEM electrolyzer platform scales to match your operation — and grows with it.
Produce H₂ on-site for fuel cell electric vehicle dispensing. Eliminate dependence on hydrogen delivery logistics. The C Series — alone or in multiples — supports larger depots serving transit buses and Class 8 trucks.
Replace lead-acid battery charging rooms with a compact H₂ fueling station. Fuel cell forklifts refuel in 3 minutes, operate for a full shift, and outperform batteries in cold-storage environments where SLI’s Gulf Coast customers compete.
Displace tube trailer deliveries for continuous industrial H₂ consumption: heat treatment atmospheres, chemical synthesis, float glass, electronics manufacturing, and food-grade hydrogenation. The C Series matches tube trailer volumes at a fraction of the long-term cost.
Gulf Coast ports and logistics hubs are early adopters of fuel cell yard trucks, reach stackers, and port tractors. On-site H₂ generation eliminates the complexity of delivering hydrogen to a working port environment.
A hydrogen fueling station that relies on tube trailer deliveries faces a fundamental bottleneck: the cost, lead time, and logistics complexity of the delivery schedule. On-site PEM electrolysis eliminates the supply chain entirely. The electrolyzer produces H₂ continuously from water and electricity, feeds it to a buffer storage bank, and the dispenser draws from storage at whatever rate vehicles require.
For small fleet depots and pilot stations, the Nel H Series delivers 76–228 SCF/h (4.3–12.9 kg/day). For higher-throughput depots serving transit buses or class 6–8 trucks, the C Series produces up to 1,140 SCF/h (about 65 kg/day per unit, with multiple units for larger stations) at 435 psig — high enough to feed buffer storage and a booster compressor for dispensing.
Fuel cell forklifts are one of the most compelling industrial hydrogen applications in North America today. Unlike lead-acid battery forklifts — which require dedicated charging rooms, opportunity charging windows, and battery swap logistics — fuel cell forklifts refuel in under 3 minutes and return to full-shift performance every time. They maintain constant power output throughout the shift and perform as well in cold-storage environments (-40°C) as they do at ambient temperature.
The operational case is strongest for multi-shift operations where battery change-outs create downtime, and for cold-storage and food distribution facilities where battery performance degrades sharply. Gulf Coast distribution centers, cold-chain logistics operators, and port facilities are ideal candidates. The Nel S, H and C Series supply the fueling station: the S40 (2.27 kg/day) suits a one- or two-truck pilot, the H Series (4.3–12.9 kg/day) supports roughly 2–12 trucks on a single shift (about half that on two shifts), and the C Series covers larger fleets.
Industrial hydrogen consumers in the Gulf Coast region — heat treaters, glass manufacturers, chemical processors, electronics fabs, and food producers — have historically relied on liquid hydrogen dewars or high-pressure tube trailers delivered on a recurring schedule. That model carries inherent risks: price exposure tied to hydrogen spot markets, delivery delays, supplier consolidation, and the logistical overhead of managing a hazardous material delivery program.
The Nel C Series changes the economic equation. At 380–1,140 SCF/h and 435 psig output pressure, a C30 electrolyzer produces up to 65 kg/day (about 27,500 cu ft) — enough to replace recurring tube-trailer deliveries for many mid-size industrial users. Use the cost calculator above to see where your site lands. The capital cost pays back through eliminated delivery fees, reduced waste from unused tube trailer heel gas, and protection against hydrogen supply cost volatility.
Daily H₂ requirements and recommended Nel Hydrogen models by application scale. Contact SLI for site-specific load analysis and system sizing.
Daily demand figures are planning ranges; forklift rows assume 1–2 kg per truck per shift. Output rates convert at 423 cu ft per kg of hydrogen. Series are matched at full rated output from Nel spec sheets — the cost calculator adds about 20% headroom for peaks and downtime, so it may suggest the next size up.
Tube trailers and liquid dewars are a legacy procurement model. On-site generation changes the economics, the risk profile, and the operational simplicity of industrial hydrogen supply.
Tube trailer hydrogen pricing includes production, compression, transportation, and supplier margin. On-site PEM electrolysis converts water and electricity into H₂ — removing every intermediary cost from your supply chain.
Hydrogen supply disruptions — from plant outages, natural disasters, or logistics failures — have idled industrial operations and fueling stations. On-site generation means your supply is where you are, controlled by you.
The Nel H Series is designed from the ground up to be upgraded in the field — start with an H2 and increase to H4 or H6 without replacing the system. Match your capital expenditure to current demand, not projected peak demand.
Pair a Nel electrolyzer with solar, wind, or grid renewable power and your H₂ production carries a zero-carbon footprint. This unlocks green hydrogen incentives, sustainability reporting benefits, and Scope 3 emissions reductions for your customers.
PEM electrolysis produces 99.999% pure H₂ as the primary output — no purification train required for most applications. Food-grade, industrial-grade, and fuel-cell-grade hydrogen from the same platform.
SLI is based in Houston on the Gulf Coast industrial corridor and services Nel Hydrogen electrolyzers across the U.S. — application engineering, permitting guidance, commissioning, and ongoing preventive maintenance.
Nel Hydrogen PEM electrolyzers serve every industry that consumes hydrogen as a process gas, fuel, or energy carrier.
Toyota Mirai, Hyundai Nexo, Honda CR-V FCEV, and Class 8 fuel cell trucks
Toyota 8-Series, Hyster H2-Ready, Crown FC Series, and Plug Power GenDrive fuel cell forklift platforms
Bright annealing, hydrogen sintering, controlled-atmosphere brazing, and diffusion bonding furnace atmospheres
H₂ / N₂ protective atmosphere in the molten tin bath to prevent tin surface oxidation during glass ribbon forming
Wafer cleaning, epitaxial CVD, diffusion furnace atmospheres, and reducing anneal processes in semiconductor fabs
Edible oil and fat hydrogenation requiring food-grade 99.999% H₂; modified atmosphere packaging for perishables
Fuel cell yard trucks, reach stackers, and port tractors at Gulf Coast container terminals and intermodal facilities
H₂ cooling for large synchronous generator stator windings; stationary fuel cell backup power for critical facilities
Tell us your daily demand, application, and site location — we’ll size the right Nel Hydrogen system and walk you through the project from concept to commissioning.