USA: Following last week's announcement by DuPont, fellow refrigerant manufacturer Honeywell has announced today that it too has begun shipments of additional quantities of R1234yf.
Branded Solstice yf by Honeywell, the new refrigerant has been ear-marked by the motor industry to replace R134a in car air conditioning systems.
'Our additional supply allows us to ship increased volumes of Honeywell's low-global-warming-potential Solstice yf and will enable automobile manufacturers around the world to significantly reduce the environmental impact of the automotive fleet, beginning now,' said Terrence Hahn, vice president and general manager of Honeywell's Fluorine Products business.
Solstice yf refrigerant has a GWP of 4, which is 97% lower than the mandated level of 150 specified in the European MAC Directive, and 99.7% lower than HFC-134a, the refrigerant currently in use.
While R1234yf is approved for use in Europe, Japan, Korea, China and the US following extensive testing, German car manufacturer Daimler announced in September that it would not be using the new refrigerant due to safety concerns following its own testing. So far, no other car manufacturer has followed Daimler's unilateral decision.