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Delphi Continues Environmental Leadership With Participation in Refrigerant Symposium

23 June 1999

Delphi Continues Environmental Leadership With Participation in Refrigerant Symposium

    TROY, Mich., June 22 -- Delphi Automotive Systems
will be playing a key role in a four-day conference later this month that
will, in part, examine the future of alternative refrigerants being considered
for use in automotive air conditioning systems.
    A team of employees from Delphi's Harrison Thermal division will
participate beginning June 28 in the Society of Automotive Engineers' (SAE)
Automotive Alternate Refrigerant Systems Forum in Scottsdale, Arizona.
    The symposium combines discussions and technology presentations with a
demonstration vehicle ride program to test the cooling performance of
alternate refrigerant systems.  In addition to actively participating, Delphi
is serving as a co-sponsor, helping to bring into focus potential new
strategies and reaffirming its position as a proactive environmental steward.
    Delphi was an international leader in the conversion from R-12, a
chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), to R-134a, a more environmentally sound refrigerant.
The transition, which was completed significantly ahead of the Montreal
Protocol-driven January 1, 1996 deadline, allowed Delphi to accelerate the
design and development of air conditioning products that quickly became the
industry standard for both comfort and environmental protection.
Additionally, Delphi was an industry frontrunner in the research and
development of refrigerant recycling technology for the service industry.
    The latest call to action is driven by the Kyoto Protocol, an
international attempt to exercise control over greenhouse gas emissions.  With
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) such as R-134a included in the "basket of gases"
covered by the Kyoto Protocol, the auto industry must consider the possibility
of other emerging passenger compartment cooling technologies for automotive
applications, Delphi Harrison Thermal engineer James Baker said.
    "The inclusion of HFCs obligates automotive air conditioning suppliers to
assess the global impact of their emissions and develop cost-effective
mitigation strategies," said Baker, who will lead a presentation on
refrigerant emissions and the value of refrigerant recycling, an initiative
for which he won the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 1997 "Best of the
Best" Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award.
    "Although the contribution of mobile air conditioning emissions to the
atmosphere is very small, changes are underway to further reduce emissions
while we continue to assess the potential that alternative refrigerants might
offer."
    Delphi will join vehicle makers and automotive air conditioning suppliers
from around the world at this SAE symposium, one in which the company's
Harrison Thermal division will introduce and demonstrate an in-vehicle
secondary loop air conditioning system as an example of a potential
alternative system.
    Baker added that it's important that Delphi join with industry
stakeholders and address these issues in a public forum, where alternatives
can be discussed and consensus can be reached.
    "Ultimately, vehicle makers will have to decide whether a change to a
non-HFC air conditioning system provides a cost-effective means of achieving
their emission reduction goals for the total vehicle," Baker said.  "At Delphi
Harrison Thermal Systems, we will make sure that, if there is a move away from
R-134a to a new technology, the change will be good for the environment, our
customers and society as a whole."
    SAE's Alternate Refrigerant Systems symposium, held in cooperation with
Automotive Engineering International and the Service Technicians Society, was
developed as a result of SAE's Interior Climate Control Standards Committee's
activities.  It's the second such alternative refrigerant symposium in two
years, and the first hosted by SAE.
    Delphi Automotive Systems, with headquarters in Troy, Mich., USA, is a
world leader in automotive component and systems technology.  Delphi's three
business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety, Thermal & Electrical
Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communications -- provide comprehensive
product solutions to complex customer needs.  Delphi has more than 196,000
employees and operates 168 wholly owned manufacturing sites, 51 customer
centers and sales offices, and 27 technical centers in 36 countries.  Regional
headquarters are located in Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo.  Delphi can be found
on the Internet at http://www.delphiauto.com.