Daimler Balks at Switch in A/C Refrigerant

The European Commission has been pushing carmakers to switch from R134a refrigerant to a "greener" material for in-vehicle air-conditioning systems by 2017.

R134a has a global warming potential of 1,430. The industry has been moving toward R1234yf, whose GWP is only 4, following several tests by SAE International to evaluate its safety and performance.

But Daimler AG says its own tests show that R1234yf unlike R134a could ignite in a serious head-on collision. The carmaker says it plans to continue using the older refrigerant. Daimler is making its test results available to regulators and other carmakers.