In response, Daimler has now issued a press statement outlining its position going forward on the issue. From 2017, no car sold in the European Union (EU) will be able to use the old R143a refrigerant, and Daimler has said it will comply to this timescale by using the R1234yf refrigerant in every one of its models apart from the S-Class and new E-Class, which will have completely new CO2-based air-conditioning systems which have been developed at huge expense and in a very short timescale by Mercedes-Benz (see Germany: 31 January 2014: Daimler developing own air-conditioning refrigerant ). Mercedes said in its statement that "The use of CO2 as a refrigerant necessitates the redesign of crucial components. CO2 air-conditioning systems operate at a pressure of more than 100 bar – some 10 times higher than that of today's systems. This means that all components including the hoses and seals need to be redesigned. Mercedes-Benz has drafted corresponding standards together with all German automobile manufacturers and numerous suppliers in the automotive standards committee of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA)." The company has also allowed other companies access to the designs and regulatory filings which allows other original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to more quickly develop their own CO2-based systems. As a result Mercedes-Benz has become the first OEM to award development contracts and place production orders for CO2 air-conditioning systems and their components.
However, the deployment of the new system designed for the S-Class and E-Class is not feasible across the entire model range, according to Mercedes-Benz, in time for the full implementation of the MAC directive which will apply from 1 January 2017. In order to meet the standard required, the company will use R1234yf in its other model ranges. It is the only refrigerant produced on an industrial scale to date which fits the future requirements of the EU directive for air conditioning systems in new vehicles, so using R1234yf has become the only option available despite the initial misgivings from Mercedes-Benz. However, in order to reassure customers about the safe application of the R1234yf in its cars, the company has developed brand new technology, involving "a comprehensive package of vehicle's specific measures". In the event of a frontal impact, the technology sees a gas generator release inert argon gas onto hot engine components and therefore negates any fire hazard from the refrigerant vapour igniting.
