DK-Lok Obtains Eco-Friendly Vehicle Fitting Certification... Launches North American Natural Gas Vehicle Business

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] DK-Lok announced on the 7th that it has obtained NGV (Natural Gas Vehicle) 3.1 and HGV (Hydrogen Gas Vehicle) 3.1 certifications for DK-Lok fittings from TUV SUD in the United States.

For high-pressure gas products, ORFS (O-Ring Face Seal) fittings and Lok fittings have acquired NGV 3.1 certification for natural gas vehicle parts and HGV 3.1 certification for hydrogen vehicle parts according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards. Additionally, by obtaining ECE R110 certification, DK-Lok fittings have been recognized as suitable for vehicles using not only CNG but also LNG as fuel.

TUV SUD is a global accredited testing and certification organization headquartered in Germany. With the U.S. branch of TUV SUD responsible for this testing and evaluation certifying the performance of two types of DK-Lok fittings?ORFS fittings and Lok fittings?used in natural gas vehicles (NGV) and hydrogen gas vehicles (HGV), the supply of each product to the eco-friendly vehicle market in North America is expected to expand rapidly.

The acquisition of NGV 3.1 and HGV 3.1 certifications was in response to requests from demand companies in the North American market. With DK-Lok successfully securing these certifications, it is anticipated that product demand from related industries awaiting certification will further increase.

Natural gas, which has superior greenhouse gas reduction effects and economic efficiency compared to traditional fuels such as gasoline or diesel, is becoming established as an intermediate alternative fuel toward the hydrogen economy in Europe as well as in the North American region.

A DK-Lok representative stated, “Riding on the aggressive vehicle production increase by existing North American customers who have achieved vertical integration through mergers and acquisitions, remarkable growth is expected by 2025,” adding, “We plan to actively promote marketing in the North American market based on the technological capabilities certified by the newly acquired NGV 3.1 and HGV 3.1.”

Meanwhile, according to a report by the global market research firm Grand View Research, the global natural gas vehicle market demand was estimated at 29.79 million units in 2020, with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% from 2021 to 2028.