First car models using HFO-1234yf

During the recent Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide convention and trade show in Las Vegas, USA, discussions focused on the vehicles will have the new HFO-1234yf refrigerant. It was revealed that one vehicle was already being sold with the new refrigerant in Europe – the Subaru XV. Hyundai was next in line to use HFO-1234yf in its i30 model.
During the recent Mobile Air Conditioning Society Worldwide convention and trade show in Las Vegas, USA, discussions focused on the vehicles will have the new HFO-1234yf refrigerant.

Although a defined “rollout plan” from the vehicle manufacturers was not available, it was revealed that one vehicle was already being sold with the new refrigerant in Europe – the Subaru XV. Hyundai was next in line to use HFO-1234yf in its i30 model. It was expected that the first vehicle to use the new refrigerant in the US was General Motor’s Cadillac XTS during spring 2012. HFO-1234yf manufacturers said that a number of deals had been signed with carmakers.

In the European Union where new vehicle models starting in 2011 are required to use refrigerants with a GWP below 150, a number of car manufacturers have been granted the right to continue using HFC-134a in new models until mass production of HFO-1234yf is available. So, some 2012 models, currently produced with HFC-134a systems, could be produced later in the year with HFO-1234yf by keeping the same design, since the components fittings on both systems are similar – but not identical. However, conversion to the new material tends to be costly and embodies additional safety features to prevent risk from the mildly flammable new refrigerant.