New Gas Production Increases

Honeywell has entered into a supply agreement with Asahi Glass Company Ltd. (AGC) to increase production for HFO-1234yf, the new refrigerant expected to eventually replace R134a.

AGC will manufacture HFO-1234yf in Japan, and Honeywell will market the product to customers in the U.S, Europe and Asia. Under the agreement, AGC’s production is expected to begin in mid-2015.

Honeywell’s supply agreement with AGC will help us meet immediate demand for HFO-1234yf, which is steadily increasing in response to concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and the need to comply with regulations.

According to Honeywell, they are planning a new high-volume manufacturing plant to be built in the US. Both the U.S. and Asia operations will provide automotive customers with improved supply chain reliability and security.

HFO-1234yf is being implemented by OEM’s in part to meet the EU MAC Directive, a landmark piece of legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of air-conditioning systems in passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The directive requires that refrigerants in all new vehicle types sold in Europe after Jan. 1, 2013, have a global-warming potential (GWP) below 150. All cars sold in Europe after 2017 must meet the new GWP requirement of less than 150. HFO-1234yf, with a GWP below 1, not only meets this requirement but is more than 99 percent below the new, stricter regulation.

According to Honeywell, nearly half a million cars are on the road today safely using HFO-1234yf, and by the end of 2014, the number of vehicles is expected to exceed 2 million. Third-party data shows that HFO-1234yf’s widespread adoption globally would have the greenhouse gas equivalent of permanently removing more than 30 million cars from the road worldwide, or about 3 percent of the total global fleet.

For more information visit www.honeywell.com