INSIDE THE QUIET, LOOMING BATTLE OVER AUTOMOTIVE REFRIGERANTS

R-1234yf is used in almost every new car sold in the U.S., but the EU is discussing a ban and the industry is investigating alternatives like CO2 and propane.

According to its manufacturer, Chemours, use of R-1234yf has grown so much since the refrigerant replaced the long-established R-134a that it's now used in 95% of new cars sold in the U.S. An estimated 220 million cars on global roads are also using it. The problem with R-134a, which came in cars and trucks in the 1990s, is that it's a gas with “a global warming potential (GWP) that is 1,430 times that of CO2,” according to the EPA.

Since 2017, EU legislation has banned the use of any refrigerant in new vehicles with a GWP higher than 150. That rule doomed R-134a but opened the door for R-1234yf, which has a GWP of only four. The EU is currently revisiting R-1234yf emissions rules and may ban the substance in a few years. In the U.S., the EPA stands by its use.