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. The new development gas, D1V140, is designed to reduce the energy draw of the heating and cooling systems in electric vehicles and thus improve the vehicles’ range. Unlike conventional internal combustion engined vehicles, in winter electric vehicles cannot use the engine waste heat for heating the interior and must draw the power from the battery. Previous research has 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 Daikin refrigerant blends R1234yf with 23% of a new hydrofluoro-olefin refrigerant HFO1132(E). Not very much is known of HFO1132(E) but it is thought to possess a GWP of 3. Daikin maintains it is less than 1. Initial ...