EC Sues Germany Over Daimler’s Use of Banned A/C Refrigerant

The European Commission says Germany violated European Union law by failing to order Daimler AG to stop using an air-conditioning system refrigerant that has been banned by the EU since the beginning of 2013.

The EC has presented the charges to the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

Daimler agreed only in October to abandon R-134a refrigerant and switch to the EU’s mandated R-1234yf fluid. The global warming potential ratings for the two chemicals are 1,430 and 4, respectively.

Daimler declared the new refrigerant a safety hazard after conducting internal lab tests. Multiple independent evaluations declared the material safe and condemned Daimler’s test as “unrealistic” and “artificial.” But the carmaker said it would continue to use R-134A until it could develop a carbon dioxide-based system. Daimler apparently has abandoned that plan.

The EU has been threatening for two years to sanction Germany for failing to uphold the new refrigerant standard. In August 2013 France briefly banned the sale of Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz cars that used the older chemical.