What is the new 1234YF Air Conditioning Gas?

Q. What’s this new 1234YF Air Conditioning Gas and why the change from R134 Gas?
A. The simple answer is because R134a, which is a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide, can leak into the air if a vehicle is crashed or improperly repaired. R134a has a ‘global warming potential’ of 1,430, meaning it is 1,430 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere.
In the EU, a refrigerant with a global warming potential of less than 150 is required in all new vehicle models certified after January 1, 2013, under Europe’s type approval process. Starting on January 1, 2017, the mandate will cover all new passenger cars.

Q. What’s the difference between R-1234yf vs HFO-1234yf
A. Nothing, currently there are only two manufacturers of these gasses and they have both decided to make the same gas and giving them two different names. Honeywell call it Solstice® yf (HFO-1234yf) and DuPont call it Opteon YF (R1234yf)

Q. So why is it now more expensive for an air conditioning recharge if my car has the new 1234yf gas
A. As with all new technology, innovation comes at a premium. Realistically this is down to many factors which include many years of research and development, all of which comes at a considerable financial expense.

Q. Can any garage replace or recharge my air conditioning system if I have the new 1234yf Gas?
A. Only if the garage has invested in the latest air conditioning service equipment. The majority of air con service machines only recharge the current refrigerant, R-134a. Here at GT Service we have the latest air conditioning equipment suitable for recharging the current leading refrigerant, R-134a as well as the new 1234YF Gas.