Author: Haitham Razagui

The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) is at the forefront of two major developments shaping the nation’s automotive future: the review of Australian Design Rules (ADR) and the critical role of local technicians in the clean energy transition. Addressing ADR challenges The AAAA has welcomed the review of the ADR framework, in which the federal Continue reading AAAA tackles regulation, advocates for progress toward a clean economy

The Australian federal government has launched $60 million of rebates to help automotive dealerships and repairers to fund the installation of electric vehicle charging equipment. Under the Dealership and Repairer Initiative for Vehicle Electrification Nationally (DRIVEN) program, rebates of up to $2500 for each charger installed are offered to eligible businesses, with a cap of Continue reading Rebates now available for repairers that install EV chargers

Australia’s largest automotive training event, Autocare 2025, promises to again be a transformative experience for technicians, workshop owners and industry professionals – and VASA will again be exhibiting at the trade show. Hosted by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), the event will take place on 20-21 June 2025 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Continue reading International experts, industry insights at Autocare 2025 in Brisbane

A line on page 38 of the fourth Cold Hard Facts report, commissioned by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, sums up six years of lost opportunity: “The service usage for small MAC is significant and represents almost 19% of all HFCs consumed on RAC equipment in 2022.” That year, 644.6 tonnes Continue reading Cold Hard Facts and uncomfortable truths about Australia’s HFC phase-down

The European Union’s ambitious HFC phase-down continues to yield unintended consequences, with the lucrative black market for R134a and other regulated high global warming potential (GWP) products showing no signs of slowing down as smugglers capitalise on sky-rocketing prices caused by legislated quotas that restrict supply.  Quota System Creates a Perfect Storm The EU’s fluorinated Continue reading Unintended consequences: Europe faces endless whack-a-mole against refrigerant smugglers

Bus air-conditioning efficiency boost

Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have devised a new approach to air-conditioning that is far more compact and lightweight than traditional equipment while promising to consume 10 to 30 times less energy by effectively removing humidity before cooling. Licensed to Montana Technologies, the ‘AirJoule’ system uses a unique adsorption-based process that is Continue reading Bus air-conditioning efficiency boost

The European rail industry is embracing R290, a hydrocarbon refrigerant with a global warming potential (GWP) of 3 for train HVAC systems. As well as aligning with the European Union’s F-Gas regulations and potential restrictions on PFAS substances, this shift marks a significant departure from high-GWP HFCs like R407C and R134a. Liebherr Transportation Systems, a Continue reading Hydrocarbon-based railway HVAC does without secondary loop