SAE International Releases Test Results for Low GWP Refrigerant

A Cooperative Research Program conducted through SAE International announced the successful completion of its research.
The study was aimed to investigate the safety and environmental performance of a new refrigerant for mobile air conditioning systems.
Based on these results, the sponsors of the SAE CRP1234 have concluded that HFO-1234yf can be used as the global replacement refrigerant in future mobile air conditioning systems. From the evaluation and test results it has been concluded that HFO-1234yf can be safely accommodated through established industry standards and practices for vehicle design, engineering, manufacturing, and service.
The report is the third SAE report to evaluate the new refrigerant. The recent two-year long global research program was to determine the safety and environmental characteristics of HFO-1234yf. These investigations have confirmed that HFO-1234yf is an environmentally friendly refrigerant suitable for use in direct expansion Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) systems. HFO-1234yf is a non Ozone depleting substance with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 4. In comparison, the current refrigerant, R-134a, has a GWP of 1430. 
Extensive testing was supported by multimillion dollar (USA) funding and in-kind support for SAE CRP1234 projects has been provided by 15 vehicle OEMs (from China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Sweden, UK, and USA) and 18 Tier one suppliers (from Asia, Europe, and USA).
The results from the CRP1234 programs that investigated the new refrigerant for use in mobile air conditioning systems (cars and light trucks) are available on-line at www.sae.org/standardsdev/tsb/cooperative/crp1234-3.pdf.