Vehicle air conditioners in Europe will soon be using C02 instead of harmful hydrofluorocarbon greenhouse gases. Out of concern for global warming, the EU agreed to phase out the use of HFC R-134a, which is used in nearly all auto AC systems today, by 2011.
Last week, engineers gathered in Austria at the Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) Summit to discuss technologies for using C02 as a "natural refrigerant" as HFCs are 1000 times more harmful. The Kyoto Protocol calls for the elimination of HFCs.
Honeywell is working on an HFC alternative that is not CO2-based, but the company has not provided details about the chemical composition.
In the U.S., automotive engineers have a less ambitious goal of reducing HFC emissions by 30 percent.
Perhaps if the European automakers can produce HFC-free air conditioning units at a reasonable price the technology will filter back to the U.S.
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