The EPA finally published the conditions under which automakers can use HFO-1234yf, the new, "green" refrigerant, in new cars. But aftermarket sales will be prohibited until safe consumer packaging can be developed.
The EPA approved the use of the actual chemical last October when it issued a significant new use rule (SNUR); but the industry had been waiting for these "use" restrictions, which the agency issued at the end of March under its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program.
HFO-1234yf has a global warming potential (GWP) that is 99.7 percent less than the current chemical (HFC–134a) used in most car air conditioners. “This new chemical helps fight climate change and ozone depletion," says Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. "It is homegrown innovative solutions like this that save lives and strengthen our economy." Honeywell and Dupont are jointly producing the new refrigerant.
The EPA isn't mandating auto manufacturers use the new refrigerant; just the conditions under which they must use it if they choose to do so. Those requirements adhere to industry standard SAE J639, which concerns design of pressure-relief valves and keeping records of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) accounting according to standard SAE J1739. The EPA dropped three other requirements it had previously indicated it would impose.
The two retained use conditions aren't going to stand in the way of auto manufacturers who already face a requirement in the European Union (EU) that as of 2011, refrigerants in new vehicle "types" — this turn of phrase does not include all new cars — cannot have a GWP greater than 150. HFO-1234yf has a GWP of 4 compared to 1300 for R-134a. All new cars sold in the EU in 2017 will have to have a refrigerant rated below 150.
Although there is no U.S. mandate to use HFO-1234yf in new cars, domestic and foreign manufacturers are under pressure to meet upcoming greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from motor vehicles imposed last year by the Obama administration.
While there won't be an immediate demand in the U.S. for aftermarket sales of consumer-sized containers of HFO-1234yf, the demand will exist, probably sooner rather than later. The EPA addresses that eventuality in its final SNAP decision, essentially maintaining the position it first outlined in the SNUR issued last October. That position states that the manufacturers of the chemical — Honeywell and Dupont — must develop "unique fittings" for smaller containers. Nina Krausse, a Honeywell spokeswoman, didn't have a timeframe for that. "Honeywell is currently focused on meeting the needs of automotive OEMs," she says.
The fittings used on the 20-gallon-plus containers, which will be sold to auto service and auto manufacturing plants. are not adequate for small containers, where leakage of the chemical in a residential garage, for example, could pose fire hazards. "EPA's risk assessment and risk screen both indicated that worst-case exposure levels expected during servicing by do-it-yourselfers are of potential concern," the agency says.
The approval of HFO-1234yf raises questions about continued retail sales of the current aftermarket auto refrigerant R134a that has been used for 20 years. But a few months ago, the EPA announced it had accepted a petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council and others asking the agency to start phasing out use of R134a for new cars. The EPA did not set a timetable for that upcoming rulemaking, and there is no guarantee, in any case, that the agency will strike R134a from the SNAP list at the end of the process. Some states, such as California, have already moved toward restricting in one way or another aftermarket sales of R134a. Any EPA moves to take it off the SNAP list would probably hasten those state efforts.
The EPA finally published the conditions under which automakers can use HFO-1234yf, the new, "green" refrigerant, in new cars. But aftermarket sales will be prohibited until safe consumer packaging can be developed.
The EPA approved the use of the actual chemical last October when it issued a significant new use rule (SNUR); but the industry had been waiting for these "use" restrictions, which the agency issued at the end of March under its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program.
HFO-1234yf has a global warming potential (GWP) that is 99.7 percent less than the current chemical (HFC–134a) used in most car air conditioners. “This new chemical helps fight climate change and ozone depletion," says Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. "It is homegrown innovative solutions like this that save lives and strengthen our economy." Honeywell and Dupont are jointly producing the new refrigerant.
The EPA isn't mandating auto manufacturers use the new refrigerant; just the conditions under which they must use it if they choose to do so. Those requirements adhere to industry standard SAE J639, which concerns design of pressure-relief valves and keeping records of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) accounting according to standard SAE J1739. The EPA dropped three other requirements it had previously indicated it would impose.
The two retained use conditions aren't going to stand in the way of auto manufacturers who already face a requirement in the European Union (EU) that as of 2011, refrigerants in new vehicle "types" — this turn of phrase does not include all new cars — cannot have a GWP greater than 150. HFO-1234yf has a GWP of 4 compared to 1300 for R-134a. All new cars sold in the EU in 2017 will have to have a refrigerant rated below 150.
Although there is no U.S. mandate to use HFO-1234yf in new cars, domestic and foreign manufacturers are under pressure to meet upcoming greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from motor vehicles imposed last year by the Obama administration.
While there won't be an immediate demand in the U.S. for aftermarket sales of consumer-sized containers of HFO-1234yf, the demand will exist, probably sooner rather than later. The EPA addresses that eventuality in its final SNAP decision, essentially maintaining the position it first outlined in the SNUR issued last October. That position states that the manufacturers of the chemical — Honeywell and Dupont — must develop "unique fittings" for smaller containers. Nina Krausse, a Honeywell spokeswoman, didn't have a timeframe for that. "Honeywell is currently focused on meeting the needs of automotive OEMs," she says.
The fittings used on the 20-gallon-plus containers, which will be sold to auto service and auto manufacturing plants. are not adequate for small containers, where leakage of the chemical in a residential garage, for example, could pose fire hazards. "EPA's risk assessment and risk screen both indicated that worst-case exposure levels expected during servicing by do-it-yourselfers are of potential concern," the agency says.
The approval of HFO-1234yf raises questions about continued retail sales of the current aftermarket auto refrigerant R134a that has been used for 20 years. But a few months ago, the EPA announced it had accepted a petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council and others asking the agency to start phasing out use of R134a for new cars. The EPA did not set a timetable for that upcoming rulemaking, and there is no guarantee, in any case, that the agency will strike R134a from the SNAP list at the end of the process. Some states, such as California, have already moved toward restricting in one way or another aftermarket sales of R134a. Any EPA moves to take it off the SNAP list would probably hasten those state efforts.
