Germany has been given two months to comply with a European Union (EU) Directive on Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) applications for use in vehicle refrigerant systems.
The contentious cooling issue has dragged on for a considerable time, with Mercedes-Benz maintaining the r1234yf coolant could present a fire hazard in certain conditions, although one manufacturer, Honeywell, points to its safety and vastly more environmentally-friendly emissions properties.
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The impasse put the German manufacturer at loggerheads with the European Commission(EC) and French authorities, which initially banned Mercedes from selling its A, B, CLA and SL models using the automaker’s preferred r134a refrigerant, a decision subsequently overturned by Paris’ highest Court.
However, EC scientists concluded there is “no evidence of a serious risk” for automakers using r1234yf refrigerant.
Should Germany not comply with the EC’s formal request to apply the MAC Directive, the Brussels body says it could decide to refer the matter to the European Court of Justice, although it is not clear what any potential sanctions might be.
“Germany has infringed EU law in so far as it allowed a German manufacturer to put on the EU market, between January and June, 2013, vehicles that were not in conformity with the Directive and decided not to impose any remedial measures on this manufacturer,” said an EC statement.
“Furthermore, in May, 2013, the German approval authorities accepted the request from the manufacturer to discontinue the use of current type approvals for those vehicles and to extend instead old vehicle approvals for these same vehicles.
“The Commission considers in granting these extensions the German authorities have circumvented the application of the MAC Directive, depriving it of its intended effects.”
Mercedes was not immediately available for comment.
