Automotive manufacturer General Motors has announced plans to introduce a new environmentally-friendly refrigerant into their vehicle air conditioning which reduces climate impact by 99.7 percent compared with currently used refrigerants.
The new gas, known as HFO, will be used in all new models of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac cars sold in the US from 2013, replacing the current refrigerant, HFC-134a. The gases used in air conditioning units are rated according to their Global Warming Potential (GWP); with HFC-134a scoring a GWP of over 1,400, compared with the new HFO rating a GWP of only four.
HFCs are considered to be “super” green house gases, as they have a significant impact on climate change. Durwood Zaelke, President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) reportedly commented that phasing out super greenhouse gases is a top priority for reducing climate change.
The EU is leading the world in the transition to low-GWP refrigerants, having set a standard to cease use of refrigerants with GWPs higher than 150 by the year 2017. The State of California is following a similar protocol for vehicles sold in that state. The new refrigerant also helps reduce fuel consumption, which works towards car manufacturers meeting a new requirement to reduce average vehicle fuel consumption by 2016. The US Environmental Protection Agency is also assessing a petition to remove HFC-134 from the list of approved refrigerants for vehicle air conditioning.
GM has been applauded by environmental groups for leading the way in taking this initiative to drastically reduce pollutants used in their vehicles. The challenge now is to encourage chemical suppliers to make this new technology available in all countries.
For more information, see:
http://www.enn.com/press_releases/3439