World’s second-largest carmaker commits to R744 as AC refrigerant German automotive giant Volkswagen Group hit the headlines in March when it confirmed its pursuit of carbon dioxide as an air conditioning refrigerant as part of a plan to become the world’s most environmentally sustainable carmaker by 2018. According to German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau, VW Group … Continue reading CO2 refrigerant for VW Group
But even mild flammability made industry acceptance a hard sell A leading engineer behind the development of new industry standard automotive refrigerant R1234yf concedes that flammability is its biggest drawback – but that apart from that it is close to being the perfect gas for car air conditioning systems. During an exclusive interview with SightGlass News at … Continue reading R1234yf ‘really close’ to perfect
Within five years the batteries used to power electric cars will hold twice as much energy, at half the cost compared with today, according to Bosch chairman Volkmar Denner. Exponential advances in battery technology will make electric cars more affordable and viable for everyday use, accelerating their uptake, while hybrids and plug-in hybrids will become … Continue reading EV battery capacity to double for half the cost by 2020
More than 1300 tonnes of banned ozone-depleting substances (ODS) were seized worldwide between September 2012 and April 2014 according to figures from the United Nations Environment Programme. Confiscations included 7370 items of equipment and 9513 cylinders of refrigerant, with most seizures being of R22 refrigerant, an HCFC, while others captured CFCs like R12 and illegally … Continue reading Huge illegal ozone-depleting substance haul
Much of the global automotive industry has adopted R1234yf as the standard refrigerant in new cars, primarily due to tightening overseas legislation over the global warming effect of refrigerants released into the atmosphere. R1234yf has a far lower global warming potential than R134a, which has been the sole industry standard refrigerant in automotive air conditioning … Continue reading R1234yf Facts
This warning label attached to a cylinder of hydrocarbon refrigerant could be the manufacturer’s admission that its product is no longer considered a direct ‘drop-in’ replacement for R134a. The warning criticises major hose brands and hose types used by major motor vehicle manufacturers and recommends the retrofit to a ‘full barrier hose’ in order to … Continue reading Hydrocarbon refrigerant hose-down
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved hydrocarbon refrigerants R170 (ethane), R600a (isobutane), R290 (propane) and R441A (a blend of all four) for use in certain stationary refrigeration and air conditioning applications. The EPA has not changed its position on the use of hydrocarbon refrigerants in motor vehicle air conditioning (MVAC) systems, with … Continue reading US EPA Approves HC Refrigerants
The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) now has more than 60,000 individual ARCtick license holders on its books, plus at least 17,000 licensed businesses. Almost a decade on from the introduction of licensing requirements for the handling and trade of ozone depleting and synthetic greenhouse gases in Australia, the increase in the number of license holders … Continue reading ARC reaches 60K milestone
A rapid increase in atmospheric concentrations of dichloromethane – an ozone-depleting substance not controlled by the Montreal Protocol – has been discovered by scientists from the University of Leeds in Britain. While the current rate of ozone-depletion by dichloromethane is small, because it attacks ozone at the lowest altitudes of the stratosphere it has a … Continue reading New ozone threat
Who owns the data generated by modern ‘connected’ vehicles in their day-to-day running and who should have access to it? What are the anti-competitive, privacy and civil rights implications of vehicles that can store and transmit data on location, usage and countless other factors as well as technical and diagnostic information? These questions represent a … Continue reading Who owns vehicle telematics data?
