Honeywell announced a new hydrofluoroolefin (HFO)-based refrigerant for the European automotive aftermarket that has the potential to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions footprint of air conditioning systems in existing vehicles by more than 50%. Solstice 456A provides an easy-to-use, economical, drop-in service solution for vehicles manufactured before 2017. It has similar performance to R-134A, helping to meet the needs of vehicle owners and auto repair shops amid ongoing climate-related legislation from the EU.
“With more than 200 million cars on the roads in Europe still using R-134A, there is a need in the market for a sustainable and economical product to support auto repair shops servicing these vehicles,” said Rick Winick, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Automotive Refrigerants. “Solstice 456A is an ASHRAE A1-classified, nonflammable, easy-to-use refrigerant that can easily be adopted to work with existing AC service machines and tools.”
Solstice 456A will be commercially available to the European automotive aftermarket later this year.
Honeywell has invested a billion dollars in research, development and new capacity for its Solstice technology, having anticipated the need for lower-GWP solutions to combat climate change more than a decade ago. The product line, which helps customers lower their greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency without sacrificing end-product performance, includes refrigerants for supermarkets, air conditioning for cars and trucks, blowing agents for insulation, propellants for personal and household care and solvents for cleaning solutions.
Customers utilizing Solstice technology have avoided potential release of the equivalent of more than 260 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equal to eliminating the potential emissions from more than 56 million cars for one year.
