EU Raises Anti-Trust Question about Refrigerant Venture

The partnership between Honeywell and DuPont that developed and is supplying a new air-conditioning refrigerant now used in most new European vehicles may be anti-competitive, according to the European Commission.

A three-year investigation by the EC concludes the alliance between the companies may have blocked others from developing an alternative material. The probe was prompted by a complaint from French specialty chemicals company Arkema Group.

The EU banned R134a, the previous industry standard material, at the beginning of 2013. The new fluid, called R1234yf, has a "global warming potential" rating of 4 compared with 1,430 for the older coolant. Carbon dioxide has a rating of 1.

R1234 is the only material that currently meets the EU standard. Honeywell and DuPont insist their partnership meets all EU rules, which include laws that foster collaboration on product development.

The new coolant has been installed in an estimated 2 million vehicles worldwide. The notable exceptions are Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz models. Daimler claims the fluid is a fire and safety hazard. It is developing an alternative system that uses CO₂. Last month the EC ordered Germany to demand that Daimler comply with the EU standard.