Tag: SightGlass News Issue 14

Hawaiian inventor Steve Feher, who pioneered the technology that provides the seat cooling now commonplace in luxury cars, has adapted it for motorcycle helmets. The Feher ACH-1 is claimed to be the first self-contained air-conditioned motorcycle helmet and is already on sale in the United States, where it costs the equivalent of $A820, and reportedly Continue reading Air-conditioned motorcycle helmet

More than four years after the Perth truck blast that injured two tradesmen, the Western Australia Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has published a bulletin outlining safety considerations when “switching to” flammable refrigerants. Contributing to the publication of Dangerous Goods Safety Bulletin No. 0218 and Worksafe was the Motor Trades Association of Western Continue reading WA issues flammable refrigerant bulletin

New regulations and permit schemes in the works New Zealand environment minister David Parker has announced that the country will delay its ratification of the Kigali Amendment by 12 months. The year-long hiatus is to allow New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to carry out the required health and safety amendments before ratification Continue reading NZ to ratify Kigali in late 2019

A staggering 32 executives from HVAC and refrigeration companies have written to US President Donald Trump and urged him to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The letter, which was copied to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, represented the views of companies such as Honeywell, Chemours, Dow Chemical, Ingersoll Rand, Arkema and Fujitsu Continue reading US wavers on Kigali

A series of reports had attributed an alarming rise in CFC-11 emissions to Chinese factories, which were reputedly using the ozone-harming gas in their production processes.  The Chinese government, which is stated to have a “zero tolerance” approach to the use of substances outlawed by the Montreal Protocol, has subsequently acted to combat this issue.  Continue reading Rising CFC-11 emissions a result of commercial use in China

Sales of illegal disposable cylinders of refrigerant are seemingly on the rise in mainland Europe, with the likes of R124a, R404A and R407C being offered through online trading sites. In a story published by UK-based outlet Cooling Post, the title’s research revealed that in excess of 80 vendors were offering refrigerants in the classified section Continue reading Europe’s illegal refrigerant drama

Refined diesel technology to help OEMs meet emissions targets Bosch has unveiled a series of improvements in diesel emission control systems that dramatically reduce the output of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx).  Test cars equipped with the new Bosch-developed hardware have, in real-world conditions, emitted as little as 13mg/km of NOx. Currently, a new car in Continue reading Bosch slashes diesel NOx emissions

TOYOTA is forecasting substantial growth in the fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) market and, as a result, is set to expand its hydrogen hardware production facilities. Currently, Toyota sells 3000 FCEVs a year but, by 2020, it expects that figure to have climbed to in excess of 30,000 – because, in part, it plans to Continue reading Toyota doubles down on fuel cells

Panasonic is reportedly developing lithium batteries that require half the current quantity of cobalt. The new battery designs are motivated by the increasing cost of cobalt, and the potential threat of shortages, which have come about as a result of surging demand for lithium-ion batteries.  The battery production industry, which reportedly consumed 51 per cent Continue reading Panasonic tackles soaring cobalt costs

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has demonstrated a technology that could speed up and ease the adoption of hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. Its new membrane-based catalysing reactors can extract hydrogen from ammonia, which is comparatively easily handled and transported. This means that existing infrastructure can be utilised to transport ammonia to hydrogen filling stations, Continue reading CSIRO breakthrough on hydrogen transport