French Court Allows Sale of R134a Equipped Mercedes Benzes, Daimler to Move to Carbon Dioxide Refrigerant

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

In the continuing saga of Daimler, the EU and banned refrigerants, the German automaker won a provisional ruling from France’s highest administrative judicial body to overturn the suspension of the sale of Mercedes-Benz models equipped with R134a refrigerant in those cars’ air conditioning systems. European Union regulators have banned R134a but Daimler claims that the replacement, R1234yf, can create fire and toxicity safety issues. The French Council of State said that authorities in that country must resume registrations of those Mercedes-Benz models while the case goes on.

According to Bloomberg, the court in Paris ruled that there is “serious doubt” about the immediate environmental threat upon which the French government was basing the sales ban. The French Ministry of Ecology, Development and Energy had blocked new registrations of the models in July, citing EU environmental rules, while Daimler insisted that since the models were type-approved by the German Federal Motor Vehicle Office, or KBA, they can be registered anywhere in the EU.

The models affected are the SL roadster, the CLA four doors, and A-class and B-class compacts and French sales of those vehicles make up about 2% of Daimler’s global revenue. “We expect the French authorities to start registering our vehicles within the next 48 hours,” Daimler said in a statement.

Eventually, a Daimler spokesman said the company will be switching all of its air conditioning systems to the use of carbon dioxide as a refrigerant by 2017, which it says is “the most climate-friendly and safest solution.”

TTAC Staff
TTAC Staff

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  • JimC2 JimC2 on Aug 28, 2013

    CO2 as a refrigerant? This just might result in a second-order effect of a worldwide shortage of the stuff. With the possible impending removal of one of the corners of the "photosynthesis triangle," there could be mass extinctions of an unknown number of species in the Plant Kingdom! Why won't anyone think of the plants?!?!?!?! When the ambulance chasers have finished cutting down the Toyota wrongful pedal application money tree, maybe they can have a look into this scandal.

    • MBella MBella on Aug 28, 2013

      Just like if fuel cell cars ever become a reality, the water vapor will be blamed for being a pollutant. It will never end. I remember reading something about a plan to put a solar power plant in the desert, and somebody arguing that it will harm the local wildlife. You can't win.

  • Hummer Hummer on Aug 28, 2013

    Although I feel very sorry for any automaker for being required to add material by law (adding to consumer costs), I'm really excited to see MB take its own direction on the whole deal, we should not reward the losers who lobbied for their own personal gain.

  • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Aug 28, 2013

    It's all politics. This is what happens when governments become so large that the unelected regulators make insider, backroom decisions with lobbyists and special interests not only sitting at the table, but writing the regulations. This is the meaning of the charge against King George in the Declaration of Independence: "He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance."

  • 50merc 50merc on Aug 29, 2013

    Absolutely, Lorenzo. The government has become the enemy. It uses the AGW hysteria to club anything in sight into compliance with statist dreams. Here in Oklahoma, the ethanol-crazy (and the ethanol mandate IS crazy) feds are in a position to squeeze off the supply of our precious non-adulterated gasoline.

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