Exploring ELAFLEX’s expansion in the US
We visited ELAFLEX’s U.S. headquarters in California and sat down with Managing Director Ricky Lee to talk expansion, clean mobility, opportunities for natural gas and hydrogen’s potential.
Amidst the ongoing transformation of the mobility landscape, European refueling specialist ELAFLEX opened its U.S. headquarters in Buena Park, California in early 2023. In our recent visit to the office, Ricky Lee, Managing Director of ELAFLEX US, reflected on the company’s steady growth since its launch, citing an uphill trajectory credited to new mobility solutions.
After an initial focus on core offerings, the team recognized emerging demand across other sectors, including compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen, and aviation. This prompted a more diverse expansion of their portfolio of initial offer composed of nozzles and breakaway systems.
“In Europe there are 1,700 biomethane plants and stations for RNG alone and the U.S. is quickly adopting the same sort of methodologies that Europe has,” explained Lee.
The North American market, particularly for renewable natural gas (RNG), presents ample opportunity. Currently valued at $15.2 billion and projected to grow by 8% right up to 2032, the sector is poised for transformation.
Lee also underscored ELAFLEX’s ambitions to make the hydrogen refueling sector more accessible and efficient. The company sees strong potential in 520 bar solutions for hydrogen applications, especially in the transportation sector. “Battery is great in some instances, but often for long haul applications it just doesn’t cut the mustard, as we say,” Lee noted.
He added that California, already a pioneer in hydrogen infrastructure, is serving as a benchmark for other regions in and outside the U.S.
