Chemours supports longer EU transition period for fluorinated refrigerants

The Chemours Company, a global chemical company, announced its support for the automotive industry's plea to extend the transition timeline for fluorinated gases (F-gases) in mobile air conditioning (MAC) systems within the EU. This request is part of the proposed restriction on PFAS substances. Industry groups, including ACEA, JAMA, and the German Association of the Automotive Industry, have called for a minimum transition period of 13 years for light electric vehicles and 20 years for other vehicle types.

Chemours argues that the extended timeline is necessary to allow for the development, validation, integration, and scaling of next-generation refrigerant solutions. The company cited the previous transition from R-134a to R-1234yf, which took over 15 years despite being a near drop-in replacement, as an example of the complexity involved. There is currently no direct substitute for R-1234yf in MAC systems.

The industry submissions highlight significant challenges with two alternative, non-PFAS refrigerants: propane (R-290) and carbon dioxide (R-744). Propane faces considerable safety and regulatory hurdles due to its high flammability, requiring new system designs and safety protocols. Carbon dioxide systems necessitate substantially different architectures and components capable of handling higher pressures, which could increase energy consumption and costs.

The company stresses that technical, safety, regulatory, and manufacturing considerations require an extended transition period aligned with automotive industry design, validation, and production cycles. Therefore, Chemours supports the industry's call for longer transition times to ensure that safe, efficient, and sustainable cooling solutions remain accessible to consumers.