A new automotive refrigerant R1234yf is being used in many late model 2015 and newer vehicles. The United States EPA has mandated that all new vehicles use R1234yf by 2021. The reason is that the new refrigerant R1234yf has a much lower global warming potential (GWP) than the refrigerant that has been in use (R134a) for the last 24 years. In fact the GWP of R1234 is 1 according to its maker Honeywell and it is 4 according to the EPA, while the GWP of R134 is 1430. The EU has mandated that all new vehicles sold there must have a refrigerant with a GWP of below 150 beginning January 1, 2017. Many vehicles sold here are already using R1234yf because the car makers receive tradable emission credits from the EPA.
Back in the early 90s, R134a was mandated as a replacement for R12 which was a contributor to causing damage to the earth’s ozone layer. Previous to that change, recovery and recycling equipment was required to be used by any entity that serviced air conditioning systems. Technicians were required to be certified to work on AC Systems and it became illegal to charge an AC system that has a known leak. Air conditioning operates in a closed system and the refrigerant does not get into the atmosphere unless a leak develops due to age of the system or a collision. Even junk yards have to recover the refrigerant before the vehicle is parted out.
I believe a large contributing factor to R134a in the atmosphere is a loophole in the law that allows do-it-yourselfers to buy one pound cans to top up leaky AC systems. Though it is still illegal to vent the refrigerant into the atmosphere, it is not prohibited to charge a leaking system or to sell 1 pound cans. If you Google “charging ac system with a 1 pound can”, there are 12,700,000 results.
R1234yf is not without some problems. First, it is considerably more expensive than R134a. Amazon lists R1234yf at $775 for 10 pounds versus R134a at $137 for 30 pounds. It will require shops to purchase new equipment and that will increase the cost of servicing AC systems some. Also even though it degrades faster in the atmosphere, it decomposes into a harmful substance that does not degrade any further. This compound is trifluoroacetic acid. Trifluoroacetic acid accumulates in water and living organisms and is also toxic to certain plants especially certain types of algae.
Finally, the one certain thing about the auto industry is change and we have seen plenty, especially in the last 10 years both in the body and mechanical areas. We are committed to keeping current in equipment and training to be able to service even the latest models. We strive to keep almost every aspect of service “in house” in order to assure the quality of your repairs.
