Hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge in ethanol-water mixtures is optimized in this work. A needle-balls configuration is designed, which is fit for situ hydrogen production in transportation. The energy yield of hydrogen can attain 141.3 gH(2)/kWh, which is better than most existing methods. The high energy yield attributes to the special discharge characteristics. During the discharge, shock waves make the balls jumping in the reactor that increase the randomness and local strength of discharge. The microscopic pathway of pulsed discharge in ethanol-water mixtures is also analyzed by the comparison of rate constants. The main products can be analyzed from the microscopic pathway. In addition, CH3CHO, CH2O are important intermediates, which may be good additives for increasing hydrogen yield. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.