Daikin to invest $75m in EV refrigerant plant
8th January 2023
JAPAN: Daikin is to invest more than $75m in a new Japanese plant to produce its low GWP refrigerant R474A for electric vehicle air conditioning systems.
According to reports from Japan, production at the plant in Yodogawa Seisakusho, Settsu City, Osaka Prefecture, will begin in 2027. Prior to mass production, the company will invest billions of yen to operate a test plant in 2024.
The refrigerant, first announced in 2021, is designed to reduce the energy draw of the heating and cooling systems in electric vehicles and thus improve the vehicles’ range. Research is said to have shown that the capacity of a R1234yf vehicle heat pump system reduces by up to 40% when the ambient temperature drops from 0℃ to -10℃. This is recognised as a significant problem in colder climates by motor manufacturers.
The new refrigerant adds 23% of the new HFO refrigerant R1132(E) to R1234yf, producing a blend with a GWP below 1.
Related stories:
ASHRAE approves Daikin refrigerant as R474A – 2 August 2022
USA: A new Daikin refrigerant announced last year as a more efficient alternative to R1234yf in electric vehicles has been designated as R474A by ASHRAE and given an A2L classification. Read more…
Daikin develops more efficient refrigerant for electric vehicles – 16 June 2021
JAPAN: Daikin has developed a new refrigerant blend, which the Japanese company says is a more efficient alternative to R1234yf in electric vehicle HVAC systems. Read more…
