Author: Haitham Razagui

IF YOU thought the switch from R134a to R1234yf is the single biggest technical challenge the automotive air conditioning industry has to cope with in coming years, think again. Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler, which has rejected R1234yf on safety grounds, confirmed to VASA eNews that it is aiming to have systems using carbon dioxide refrigerant … Continue reading Multiple refrigerants inevitable in automotive

HYDROGEN as a fuel is becoming an increasingly serious prospect in the automotive industry, judging by Hyundai’s decision to import a hydrogen-powered ix35 to Australia this month and the number of hydrogen cars displayed at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show. The annual LA show traditionally has a green theme and this year was no … Continue reading Get ready for the hydrogen powered car

THE Federal Government’s Emissions Reduction Fund that replaces the Carbon Tax has passed Senate, but under conditions set by the Palmer United Party that an emissions trading scheme – a potential Carbon Tax mark II – remains on the table and the Climate Change Authority is retained. Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the $2.55 … Continue reading ERF green light keeps emissions trading scheme

NEGOTIATIONS to establish a voluntary Code of Practice for the sharing of vehicle service and repair data between car companies and independent repairers are back on track and could conclude as early as next week. If an agreement is reached, a system enabling repairers to access information and tools previously exclusive to main dealers might … Continue reading Data sharing CoP could arrive within weeks

REMEMBER the joke turned urban myth about the comment by Microsoft boss Bill Gates comparing the rate of computer evolution against that of the car and the response of General Motors referring to the fact computers randomly crash and other such analogies? The origins of this joke date back to the late 1990s but here … Continue reading In-car electronics causing “reliability plague”

THE Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) has accused the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) of “scuttling” negotiations to establish a voluntary code of practice for the sharing of vehicle service and repair data between car companies and independent repairers. As a result, the AAAA has called for the Federal Government to introduce mandatory code … Continue reading Vehicle data sharing CoP negotiations ‘scuttled’

FEDERAL Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has confirmed Labor will not bring back the Carbon Tax if reelected. Earlier this month Mr Shorten told reporters in Sydney that his party “will not have a carbon tax”. “The Australian people have spoken and Labor is not going to go back to that,” he said. However a Deakin … Continue reading Labor rules out Carbon Tax return, Deakin Uni survey reveals business uncertainty over climate policy

VASA is aware of concerns in the industry over the flammability of HFO-1234yf and the temptation to switch to less expensive hydrocarbon refrigerants. This knee-jerk reaction must be avoided, not least because using hydrocarbon refrigerants means servicing air conditioning systems with gases they were never designed for. Here are some facts to show the difference … Continue reading HFO-1234yf flammability no excuse for HC temptation

A number of presentations were made to an HFC Management Workshop that took place during the 25th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which was hosted in Paris by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in July. Topics covered technical, legal and policy issues, plus scientific … Continue reading Paris Montreal Protocol conference: HFC Management Workshop presentations