SAE acknowledges significant environmental benefits of new HFO refrigerant

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International Cooperative Research Program, sponsored by major automotive manufacturers including Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover, Hyundai, PSA, Renault and Toyota, recently released a report summarizing results of its industry evaluation of low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant, hydrofluoro olefin (HFO)-1234yf, which was co-developed by DuPont.

The report validated that HFO-1234yf is safe to use in mobile air conditioning, and that, of all the proposed alternatives considered, HFO-1234yf has significant environmental benefits. The report concluded HFO-1234yf offers “the greatest potential to meet environmental and consumer needs.”

“DuPont is very pleased that SAE International and leading automotive manufacturers have recognized the benefits of HFO-1234yf,” said Cynthia C. Green, vice president and general manager – DuPont Fluoroproducts. “HFO-1234yf has a dramatically lower global warming potential than the R-134a refrigerant used today, and the best overall lifecycle climate performance globally, which makes it the preferred environmental solution. Since it is a near drop-in replacement for R-134a, it is also a practical choice, keeping costs down for both automakers and consumers at a critical time.”

Because of the lead times required for new car designs, global automotive manufacturers and suppliers have been working with industry experts and independent test laboratories since 2007, when the first SAE International Cooperative Research Program (CRP) was formed to investigate the safety and performance of HFO-1234yf for use in mobile air conditioning.

The summary SAE CRP report is available on-line at:
http://www.sae.org/standardsdev/tsb/cooperative/altrefrig.htm. For more information on HFO-1234yf, please visit http://smartautoac.com.

DuPont – one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals 19 years ago – has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets.

DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.

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