Freon Changes on the Horizon

During a recent conversation with one of our parts experts, we got on the topic of Freon. The last change took place in the 90's, but we found some articles that suggest that a new mixture of Freon will take the place of what we have now:134R. The new formula will very likely be in all 2014 vehicles. It is called R1234YF.

When a new formula is introduced, the old formula gets phased out rather quickly. Owners of vehicles with the previous formula must purchase a "retro kit" to be able to use the new formula rather than continuing to buy the older version.

Dupont created this new formula" to reduce emissions." "If all cars use this freon the effect would be equivalent to using 2.3 to 4.9 billion fewer liters of fuel or driving 24 to 52 billion fewer kilometers. (This is equivalent to using 600 million to 1.3 billion fewer gallons of fuel or driving 15 to 32 billion fewer miles.)" (See article at Dupont's Website) 

So, what's the catch? While the current formula (134R) is $19.95/lb, R1234YF will be substantially more expensive, potentially $50-70/lb. Is the reduction of emissions going to justify the cost? 

When a vehicle is brought into the service center for a coolant check, we use a large machine to gauge how much freon is left. When I went out to the garage to get a photo of this machine, I found the one pictured on the left...

This confirms that the R1234YF formula will be taking the place of 134R in the near future. We will update the blog as we get more information about the new freon. 

What do you think about the change? Click "No Comments" to share your thoughts.