New refrigerant nears mass production

The Cadillac XTS model comes out in late spring, with the ATS to follow in mid-summer with the new R-1234yf A/C refrigerant. Behind the scenes, regulatory paperwork issues have delayed production from a DuPont-Honeywell joint venture plant in China, and an SAE committee chairman has asked the EPA to expedite approvals for service equipment.

We're “almost” ready for R-1234yf, the new low global warming auto A/C refrigerant that is being used in place of R-134a to meet European regulations and gain U.S. EPA fuel economy credits. “Almost” applies despite the fact that R-1234yf already has been installed in a small number of cars in Europe since last winter and is coming to Cadillac dealers in a matter of a few months.

The major problem is R-1234yf supply. A large plant in China, a joint venture between DuPont and Honeywell, reportedly is ready to go, but Chinese government requirements for additional documentation apparently have delayed the needed approval for production to start. So the only supply of R-1234yf is from a pilot plant operated by Honeywell, as the company holds patents covering applications for the refrigerant.