As the technology needed to re-gas or maintain the air conditioning system is different, only trained and certified technicians should work on the car or van, and only those garages that have made the investment in the new air conditioning machines can re-gas the systems. Currently there are very few garages that have made that investment, including many main dealerships. However, here at Garage express in North London, NW9, we have the new machine available for our customers’ cars or vans. a b c d e f g Lewandowski, Thomas A. (July 24, 2013). "Additional risk assessment of alternative refrigerant R‐1234yf prepared for SAE International cooperative research program CRP1234‐4" (PDF). SAE International . Retrieved 26 July 2018.

Henne, Albert L; Fox, Charles J (1951). "Ionization constants of fluorinated acids". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 73 (5): 2323–2325. doi: 10.1021/ja01149a122. The risk characteristics of the increased flammability of R-1234yf were evaluated in the SNAP ruling, but this difference prevents the refrigerant from being a direct drop-in replacement. In addition, the system components need to be rated for R-1234yf before the refrigerant can be used. The SNAP ruling recommends SAE safety standards J639, J1739 and J2844 for the applicable use cases. R-1234yf has a higher vapor density than R-134a. Higher vapor density enables the use of a smaller compressor, reducing the system’s energy consumption. Once we have passed the vacuum test the recovery unit will deliver a fifteen percent charge to the system. This is known as a ‘precharge,’ of the system.

Car Manufacturers Using 1234YF

As of November 2021, R-1234yf has been listed as a proposed alternative under the EPA SNAP (Significant New Alternatives Policy) Program. “In anticipation of the publication of the final ruling, many OEMs are now actively developing systems using R-1234yf,” she said. Also driving this shift is the mandated HFC phasedown defined by the AIM (American Innovation and Manufacturing), which began January 1, 2022. Spalding shares additional insights with SAE Media in the following Q&A. By combining the EU’s policy on R-134a and now the United States’ public policy everyone knew that the most logical choice for an alternative was HFO-1234yf. Sure, there were companies like Daimler researching R-744 but this was not a viable alternative at this point in time. Production had to be increased on YF as soon as possible. Earlier this year, 2017, the Chemours company broke ground on a new 1234YF manufacturing plant in Corpus Christi, Texas. This new facility is expected to triple the company’s output of 1234yf. Chemours was just following suit though as the Honeywell corporation actually opened up their new three-hundred million dollar facility in Geismar, Louisiana earlier this year. HFO-1234yf has a global warming potential (GWP) of less than 1, [3] [4] compared to 1,430 for R-134a [5] and 1 for carbon dioxide. GM first to market greenhouse gas-friendly air conditioning refrigerant in U.S." GM Corporate Newsroom (Press release). 2010-07-23 . Retrieved 26 July 2018. From 2017, a change in the law required the introduction of a new refrigerant – HFO-1234YF (also known as R-1234YF) – in air-conditioning systems of vehicles, replacing the widely used R134a. This has implications for automotive engineers and HVAC technicians, particularly when it comes to using appropriate gas leak detectors.

Application : Automotive|Cold storage|Commercial ice machines|Food Retail - Condensing unit|Food Retail - High side of cascade|Food Retail - Stand-alone refrigerator|Food Retail - Supermarket system|Household refrigerators/freezers|Ice Rinks|Industrial Process - Non chiller|Industrial Process - Industrial high temperature heating|Industrial Process – Chillers: Low or Medium Temperature|Refrigerated transport PMM: The new refrigerant is more climate-friendly. But what is R1234yf and how does it differ from R134a? The AC Pro R-1234yf Air-Con Recharge replaces refrigerant and oil from your A/C system and contains UV dye to assist with detecting and locating leaks in metal and rubber components. This canister makes it easy to maintain and service your A/C system without the need for expensive equipment and training. It is designed to work with A/C PRO CERTYF102 R-1234yf Gauge and Hose only (sold separately).The flammability issue has attracted a lot of attention, prompting the industry to conduct some serious third-party testing. The bottom line is this: The refrigerant will burn, but it takes a lot of heat to ignite it and it burns slowly. Almost every other fluid under the hood will light more easily and burn hotter than R1234yf, so the industry has determined that with proper A/C system design, it does not increase the chances of fire in the vehicle." [16] Schaeber, Steve (August 17, 2016). "Ford dealers selling their first MPVs with R-1234yf". MACS Worldwide . Retrieved 26 July 2018. Let me start this off with saying that a 1234yf system is VERY similar to an R-134a system. If you are familiar with 134a repairs then you should be just fine with YF repairs as well. That being said there are a few points that I want to make to you before we move on to the next section: The properties and regulatory fit of HFO-1234yf make it an ideal base molecule for electrified heavy-duty vehicles. Because EVs present unique challenges in cabin heating and battery cooling, innovators such as Chemours are constantly evaluating options to tailor the benefits of R-1234yf for electrified applications. The recovery and recycling procedures on 1234yf machines are basically identical to R-134a machines. The only differences that you will notice are:

This timeline put even more pressure on Honeywell and Chemours. In only a few short years later in 2008 they presented HFO-1234yf to the Society of Automotive Engineers Cooperative Research Program. (SAE CRP1234) The society concluded that 1234yf offered superior environmental performance and that 1234yf was safe to use in automotive applications. After this test came a whole host of other tests from companies, governments, and other organizations all over the globe. Everyone wanted to make sure that this new refrigerant was not only good for the environment but also safe. Remember now folks that the new YF refrigerant went up a flammability level to 2L. Was it safe to use? Most everyone said that yes, it was… but there was one company that disagreed. Daimler There were many disputes from numerous companies and organizations from all over the world to this test and claim from Daimler that the new refrigerant was unsafe for use. For a time it seemed like German Automakers were going to fight HFOs tooth and nail. They had their hearts set on R-744 CO2. Over the years though there have been numerous court battles and fines issued by the European Union but still Germany persisted against 1234yf. Lo and behold there was found to be another problem with R-134a. Instead of the Ozone layer issue we now had a new issue called Global Warming Potential. Global Warming Potential, or GWP, is a measurement of how much heat a greenhouse gas can trap in the atmosphere. The basic measurement on GWP is Carbon Dioxide which measures as one. This is our standard. Now, if we look at R-134a’s GWP number we can see a number of one-thousand four-hundred and thirty. Quite the difference here folks. We can now begin to see why a substitute for 134a was needed as well. Enter HFO-1234YF is a Hydroflurocarbon refrigerant while 1234yf is a Hydrofluroolefin refrigerant. While these are two separate classes of refrigerants they are in fact very close to each other. The only main difference is that the HFO refrigerants have a double carbon bond whereas HFCs do not.Although R-1234yf is being used globally by a majority of key OEMs in light-duty automotive, the transition to the commercial/off-highway segment has not been widespread across other regions. However, the recent SNAP ruling, in combination with the AIM Act in the U.S., positions R-1234yf as the preferred replacement for R-134a for global manufacturers. and Ford [35] have all begun transitioning vehicles to R1234yf. [16] Japanese automakers are also making the transition to R1234yf. Honda and Subaru began to introduce the new refrigerant with the 2017 models. [32] From 2017 to 2018, BMW changed all of its models to R-1234yf. As of 2018, 50% of new vehicles from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are estimated to use R-1234yf. [36] The main difference between the old style gas (R134) and the new 1234TF gas is down to its environmental credentials. The old R134 gas has a significantly higher global warming potential than the new gas. If the gas leaks from a car or van’s air conditioning system then it has a higher impact on the environment.