GM Air Conditioning Refrigerant Breaks Down in the Atmosphere in Less than 11 Days
26 July 2010 | Green Cars | No Comments
I think you know how is to be blocked in traffic in a very hot summer day. Heat, noise, stress – What can be worse than that? … That’s right! Nothing! But almost every time we deal with this situation, the only thing that can alleviate this “suffering” is our air conditioning system. I guess you all love this cold air but I wonder how many of you know about the effects of refrigerants on environment. The most common refrigerant used in our cars, called R-134a refrigerant, is said to persist in the atmosphere about 13 years and that is a bad thing because it represents a significant global warming potential.
Taking this problem seriously, GM recently announced their new type of refrigerant called HFO-1234yf. Acording to their statements, this refrigerant stays in the atmosphere for only 11 days. With a global warming potential of only 4 , it actually represents a 99.7% improvement over other refrigerants (R-134a refrigerant has a GWP of 1400).
“GM’s decision to adopt this new refrigerant is additional proof of our commitment to be on the forefront of green technologies that will keep our planet healthy for our children and grand-children…It’s not just about meeting regulatory requirements; it’s about environmental leadership and GM plans to lead in developing new technologies that will take the vehicle out of the environmental debate.” said Mike Robinson, GM vice president of Environment.
“We’re pleased that GM is taking the lead in choosing HFO-1234yf, a refrigerant that has a lower impact on global warming. This is another example of how Honeywell is developing innovative new environmental and energy-efficient solutions to meet our customers’ current and future needs.” Said Terrence Hahn, general manager for Honeywell Fluorine Products.
Using the HFO-1234yf refrigerant in our air conditioning systems will help GM to significantly exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expectations related to reducing greenhouse gases.
Tags: air conditioning refrigerant, Gas-Friendly Refrigerant, gm, gm air conditioning, gm refrigerant, HFO-1234yf, R-134a