LOW GHG A/C FROM GM

GM Scores Global First with New Climate Protection Technology
Alexandra Viets, July 26, 2010 (Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development)

"General Motors (GM) scored a global first by being the first company worldwide to introduce a climate-friendly refrigerant to replace the super greenhouse gas currently used in auto air conditioning. The new refrigerant, called an HFO, has a global warming potential of just 4 compared to over 1,400 for the current refrigerant, HFC-134a. Use of the new refrigerant will start in 2013, with Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models sold in the U.S.

"GM’s new refrigerant remains in the atmosphere for just 11 days…[Its maker] Honeywell calculates that the low global warming potential (GWP) and the short lifetime of its HFO achieve a 99.7 percent improvement in the climate impact of its refrigerant compared to the current HFC-134a…HFCs are considered super greenhouse gases, and are the fastest growing part of the U.S. climate emissions, estimated to grow more than 140% by 2020 compared to 4% growth for all U.S. climate emissions…"

GM has found a replacement for a small but potent part of the problem. (click to enlarge)

"The technology announced by GM is the culmination of more than a decade of cooperation among industry, government, and standard-setting organizations. The transition to low-GWP refrigerants is being driven by regulation in the European Union that will phase out auto air conditioning refrigerants with GWPs higher than 150 between 2011 and 2017, and similar regulation in California with the same 2017 deadline. In the United States, the improved environmental performance of the new refrigerant helps car makers achieve the 40 percent improvement in average vehicle fuel economy required by 2016. An additional incentive for a rapid refrigerant transition is the pending petition before the U.S. EPA to remove HFC-134a…

"A proposal to phase down HFCs in the U.S. is part of the Kerry-Lieberman climate bill and the Waxman-Markey bill. The proposal is one of the few provisions with bipartisan support. The HFC phase-down could still be part of the oil spill legislation that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to move in the coming days…Proposals also are pending under the Montreal Protocol to phase out the use of all high-GWP HFCs in all sectors…Phasing out high-GWP HFCs under the Montreal Protocol will provide climate mitigation of 5 to 8 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent per year, for a cumulative total of 88 to 145 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent by 2050…"