DuPont Chemicals & Fluoroproducts has announced that it estimates nearly three million vehicles worldwide will use HFO-1234yf as a refrigerant by the end of 2014. This will help reduce the environmental impact of automobiles, a significant challenge facing today’s world.

Most automotive manufacturers are currently using HFO-1234yf, not only to comply with the European Union (EU) Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) Directive but also to voluntarily take advantage of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) credits designed to encourage the use of products with reduced climate impact.

Thierry FJ Vanlacker president DuPont Chemicals & Fluoroproducts, said: “The EPA credits alone provide enough incentive to automakers that we expect to see more than 50 percent of automobiles in the US market converted to HFO-1234yf by 2018. Of course, we expect higher conversion in the European market, driven by the need to comply with the MAC Directive.”

Adoption of HFO-1234yf also may be driven by anticipated regulatory developments. For example, US rule-making is expected as early as this year, eliminating the use of HFC-134a in new vehicle air conditioning. In addition, Japan is expected to issue final rule-making on an HFC phase-down schedule, which will cover automotive refrigerants.

HFO-1234yf was specifically developed to enable automakers to comply with the EU MAC Directive, which requires that all new model type cars sold in EU Member States use an automotive refrigerant that has a global warming potential (GWP) of less than 150. By 2017, all new cars sold in Member States must meet this requirement. Most of the world’s automakers have indicated they will adopt HFO-1234yf, which DuPont sells as Opteon YF.

Opteon YF has a GWP of less than one, which is well below the threshold established by the MAC Directive. The GWP of Opteon YF is 99.9 percent lower than that of HFC-134a, the refrigerant it was developed to replace. In addition to its extremely low global warming potential, Opteon YF also is quite energy efficient, which can help maximise the fuel efficiency of cars, further reducing potential impact to the climate.

“We believe Opteon YF will help significantly reduce the environmental footprint of cars over time, which is a critical sustainability need around the world,” said Kathryn K. McCord, global business director, DuPont Fluorochemicals. “If this product were adopted in all new cars sold in the EU, North America, and Japan, those cars would have reduced emissions equivalent to using around a billion fewer gallons of fuel or driving 15-32 billion fewer miles.”

While a few voices in Germany continue to raise concerns about this product relative to flammability and potential incineration byproducts, these claims have been extensively and thoroughly investigated by third party research initiatives in settings that simulate real-life situations. Based on results of these evaluations, HFO-1234yf has been accepted by the automotive industry and by regulatory bodies. Most recently, a German professor pointed at potential safety risks based on lab results showing formation of carbonyl fluoride from decomposition of this product through combustion.

“In reality, it has been well known for a long time that carbonyl fluoride can potentially form from decomposition of many fluorine-containing refrigerants, including HFC-134a, which has been safely used in more than a billion vehicles over the last two decades,” said Mario Nappa, a distinguished DuPont scientist who is a recognized authority on fluorine chemistry. “Further, it is well documented in scientific literature that if carbonyl fluoride were to form in an extreme, theoretical case, it would exist for only a fraction of a second, not long enough to put people at risk.”

A number of automotive industry groups and government authorities have concluded after extensive testing that HFO-1234yf can be safely used in automotive air conditioning. This is based on data from many studies, including those conducted by SAE International and Germany’s Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), and has been confirmed by the EU’s Joint Research Centre.  Indeed, HFO-1234yf is being adopted broadly because it offers an extremely low GWP and energy efficiency, and also delivers the performance, safety, cost effectiveness and industry readiness that automakers need.