Photo: Ssolbergj
Remember the refrigerant scandal that took place a few years ago in Europe? Well, the European Union decided to take Germany to the Luxembourg Court of Justice for allowing Daimler to keep using the old R-134a.
Daimler's use of the old R-134a refrigerant in vehicles certified after 2011 didn't go well with European lawmakers. A few years after the scandal erupted in France, the European Union decided to take court action against Germany for permitting Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz’ and smart's parent company, to keep using the old type of refrigerant instead of the new, more climate-friendly R1234yf.
According to Automotive News, the European Union is taking Germany to court for a breach of a 2006 EU law. The bill prohibited the use of R-134a refrigerant in air conditioning systems of vehicles certified after 2011.
Back when the situation arose, Daimler refused to use the new refrigerant on safety grounds. The German carmaker claimed its own tests proved that the new refrigerant was dangerous in case of a frontal impact and could cause a fire. The claim was classified as groundless by the EU and the European Commission wants to take the German state to the Luxembourg Court of Justice because it didn't force Daimler to recall all the incompliant vehicles to make technical adaptations.
The new refrigerant was made by Honeywell and DuPont after years of testing and billions of dollars invested.
Ultimately, Daimler did switch to the R1234yf refrigerant for its cars. The German company claimed to make significant adjustments to its air conditioning systems to ensure that the new refrigerant was at least as safe as the old R-134a, even in the case of a severe frontal impact.
If you're wondering what all the fuss is about and what can be so wrong about an air conditioning refrigerant, we'll have you know that the old R-134a has a higher global-warming potential than the limit set by EU law. In its better days, the old R-134a refrigerant replaced R-12 because of the same reasons. Meanwhile, Daimler has already announced that it will be the world's first carmaker to switch to the more eco-friendly, CO2-based air conditioning systems.
According to Automotive News, the European Union is taking Germany to court for a breach of a 2006 EU law. The bill prohibited the use of R-134a refrigerant in air conditioning systems of vehicles certified after 2011.
Back when the situation arose, Daimler refused to use the new refrigerant on safety grounds. The German carmaker claimed its own tests proved that the new refrigerant was dangerous in case of a frontal impact and could cause a fire. The claim was classified as groundless by the EU and the European Commission wants to take the German state to the Luxembourg Court of Justice because it didn't force Daimler to recall all the incompliant vehicles to make technical adaptations.
The new refrigerant was made by Honeywell and DuPont after years of testing and billions of dollars invested.
Ultimately, Daimler did switch to the R1234yf refrigerant for its cars. The German company claimed to make significant adjustments to its air conditioning systems to ensure that the new refrigerant was at least as safe as the old R-134a, even in the case of a severe frontal impact.
If you're wondering what all the fuss is about and what can be so wrong about an air conditioning refrigerant, we'll have you know that the old R-134a has a higher global-warming potential than the limit set by EU law. In its better days, the old R-134a refrigerant replaced R-12 because of the same reasons. Meanwhile, Daimler has already announced that it will be the world's first carmaker to switch to the more eco-friendly, CO2-based air conditioning systems.
Google News