Car makers losing fight against EU chemicals ban

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Auto makers look set to fail in their attempts to delay an agreed 2011 European ban on climate-damaging chemicals in the air conditioners of new car models, a letter from the EU's industry chief shows.

Automakers say they will need to invest an extra 40-200 euros (35-172 pounds) per vehicle to meet the refrigerant standards, which would be difficult to pass on to consumers in the current tough economic climate.

The car sector's campaign has aroused strong opposition from environmentalists and suppliers of greener engineering systems.

The European Union decided in 2006 that from 2011 it would ban the use of fluorinated chemicals, such as the industry standard known as R134a, which have a powerful climate-warming effect when released into the atmosphere.

The EU closed a legal loophole in April after learning that car makers were planning to use it to avoid the ban for new car models until 2017.

But car industry lobby group ACEA said auto manufacturers still needed two to three extra years.

European Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen appeared to rule that out in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday.

"I would like to assure you of my commitment to ensure that the objectives of the legislation on mobile air conditioning systems are fulfilled," he wrote in response to a question posed in a European Parliament debate by British member Chris Davies.

Verheugen sent supporting documents showing any delay would undermine the spirit of the legislation.

PRAGMATIC SOLUTION

Davies told Reuters it was now vital that all other commissioners stood behind Verheugen, whose department leads on the issue, and that the EU remained united in cutting greenhouse gases.

A scientific report last month showed greenhouse gases from refrigerants and air-conditioning were more harmful to the climate than previously thought and could have an impact by 2050 equal to around a third of that from carbon dioxide.

An ACEA spokeswoman said car makers would continue to seek a pragmatic solution.

The emerging market for greener refrigerants pits industry giant Honeywell International with its HFO-1234yf coolant against rival carbon dioxide-based cooling systems such as that of Austria's Obrist Engineering, Germany's Ixetic and U.S.-based Visteon.

Some of them say car makers, such as General Motors and Mercedes, had already placed orders for green air-conditioning systems and were on track to meet the ban, but later retracted the orders for unknown reasons.

(Editing by Dale Hudson)