Under the EU mobile air conditioning (MAC) directive, new vehicle types introduced in the EU on or after January 1, 2011, must use refrigerants with a global warming potential below 150. The transition will be complete by 2017.

Honeywell and DuPont – two leaders in refrigerant technology – agreed in 2007 to jointly develop a new refrigerant to meet the new EU regulations for automotive air conditioning.

Nearly a dozen potential molecules were screened and tested by Honeywell.

Testing on all aspects of the refrigerant – from effectiveness to environmental impact – was done with leading independent third parties, including the Society of Automotive Engineers.