Morris Township, NJ — Dec. 8, 2008 —  /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) announced today that the SAE International Cooperative Research Program has endorsed Honeywell’s low-global-warming-potential refrigerant for use in mobile air conditioning (MAC) to meet new, more stringent regulations in Europe.

The SAE program team said refrigerant HFO-1234yf “offers superior environmental performance” and that “this alternative refrigerant -- of all proposed alternatives -- has been judged to have the lowest risk for use in mobile air conditioning systems in meeting environmental and consumer needs.”

The SAE’s research program was launched in 2007 as a response to the European Union’s MAC directive, which requires that all new vehicles produced starting in 2011 use a refrigerant with a global warming potential below 150. Current global mobile air conditioning systems use HFC-134a, a refrigerant with a GWP of 1,430. HFO-1234yf has a GWP of only four.

The SAE program’s extensive testing showed that HFO-1234yf is a “highly energy-efficient refrigerant, meaning autos with HFO-1234yf use less fuel and have fewer (greenhouse gas) emissions than those that use alternatives.” The program found that while CO2, another proposed alternative, has a global warming potential of 1, it “is less efficient than 1234yf, resulting in greater indirect emissions.”

Rene Mueller, managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa for Honeywell Fluorine Products, said, the SAE program results mirror the findings of many automakers and independent groups, whose testing shows that HFO-1234yf use is safe and a better solution than CO2 to meet the MAC directive. “Use of HFO-1234yf meets the ultimate goal of reducing not only the direct global warming impact of automotive refrigerants, but also the impact of indirect fuel emissions tied to running air conditioning,” said Mueller. “Because 1234yf, unlike CO2, is efficient and effective in even the hottest regions, it is a truly global solution.”

The SAE program was conducted by international experts in the field of refrigerants and automotive technology from major automakers, as well as Tier 1 and 2 suppliers and independent test facilities. Program members include major automobile manufacturers from Europe, Asia, and the U.S., who together account for approximately 70 percent of all new vehicle sales in the EU and globally. SAE International is a global association of 115,000 engineers and related technical experts in the automotive, aerospace and commercial-vehicle industries

Under the SAE program, the safety and effectiveness of air conditioning systems, performance, material compatibility and relative risks of HFO-1234yf were extensively evaluated.

“HFO-1234yf is a near drop-in replacement for current refrigerants, meaning it does not require a complete redesign of current air conditioning systems and can be more easily used in the existing fleet of automobiles,” said Mueller. “This means lower overall car costs for the consumer and faster adoption by automakers globally.”

For more information on HFO-1234yf, go to www.1234facts.com.

Honeywell Specialty Materials, based in Morris Township, N.J., is a $4.9 billion, global leader in providing customers with high-performance specialty materials, including fluorine products; specialty films and additives; advanced fibers and composites; intermediates; specialty chemicals; electronic materials and chemicals; and technologies and materials for petroleum refining.

Honeywell International is a $38 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; specialty chemicals; fibers; and electronic and advanced materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London, Chicago and Pacific Stock Exchanges. It is a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. For additional information, please visit www.honeywell.com.

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