GM wants to cool off drivers with green air conditioners

GM has been working hard to overcome the bad PR that surrounded their bailout by the US and Canadian governments. They’ve been especially keen to show off their green efforts such as the hybrid Chevy Volt and their “zero landfill” project. GM’s next green idea comes in the form of a greenhouse gas-friendly air conditioning unit.

If you purchased a car before the early 1990’s its air conditioning unit was most likely powered by Freon (R-12). Freon was great at giving drivers a comfortable environment but it was even better at spewing out greenhouse gases that were harmful to the ozone layer. That’s why the industry switched over to the less harmful R-134a in the mid 1990’s.

R-134a may be better than Freon, but it still emits greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that don’t break down quickly. The refrigerant has an atmospheric life of more than 13 years which gives it a global warming potential (GWP) rating over 1,400.

Through a partnership with Honeywell, GM’s new air conditioning unit will use HFO-1234yf, a chemical that breaks down much faster in the air than R-134a. Instead of 13 years the chemical breaks down in 11 days. That drastic reduction helps HFO-1234yf earn a GWP of 4 which is 99.7% lower than R-134a.

The cleaner air conditioning unit will be used in 2013 editions of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models in the US. The new unit will not only hit the EPA's new motor vehicle greenhouse gas regulations for 2016, but also standards set for other countries.

GM hasn’t said if the unit will be used for cars sold in the European Union, but an upcoming ban may force them into action. Automotive refrigerants that have a GWP over 150 will be banned in the EU for new cars in 2011 and all cars by 2017.

After being the proverbial old man of the auto industry, GM has finally gotten the message when it comes to innovation by combining a lust for the new with a green flair. We’ll just have to see if the public will be tempted by these green touches or they will still harbor bad feelings about the bailout.