Industry Leadership in Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning
16 September 2025 - In celebration of the United Nations International Ozone Day, the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) and the Mobile Air Climate Systems Association (MACS) released a 100-page history of automotive leadership in air conditioning and heating technology that protects the stratospheric ozone layer and climate. The history also includes a case study of the global cooperation in research, development, and commercialization of Secondary-Loop motor vehicle air conditioning (SL-MAC) using the ozone-safe and climate-friendly natural refrigerant R-290 (propane) in all-electric vehicles.
Durwood Zaelke, Founder and President, IGSD:
“This is the history of hundreds of engineers over more than five decades, continuously improving cooling and heating technology. Today, they have accomplished “moon shot” secondary-loop designs that extend electric vehicle driving range and battery life using clean power.”
Sangeet Kapoor, retired from TATA Motors, SL-MAC consultant:
“My former engineering team at TATA Motors India, in collaboration with Mahle and IGSD, demonstrated a climate-friendly SL-MAC superior in economic, environmental, and technology performance. SAE International, with a larger team, accomplished the safety, performance, and service standards for fast market penetration.”
Steven Schaeber, Director of Training and Regulatory Affairs, MACS:
“It was more than 35 years ago that MACS began teaching its US Clean Air Act Certification and Training program for mobile air conditioning technicians. Over the years, this training -- including the proper use of leak detection tools and refrigerant recovery and recycling equipment -- has helped to protect the ozone layer and climate by significantly reducing the amount of harmful refrigerant released into the atmosphere.”
James A. Baker (retired from General Motors/Delphi):
“I was working at General Motors in refrigerant systems chemistry when Mario J. Molina and F. Sherwood Rowland warned that chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants destroy the ozone layer that protects life on Earth from ultraviolet radiation. Others were skeptical of the science, but General Motors was not. We identified R-134a as the fast ozone-safe replacement and were ready in 1987 when the Montreal Protocol was signed.”
Industry Leadership in Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning (MACs) and Case Study of MAC Secondary-Loop Architecture Vital to Economic and Environmental Performance of All-Electric Vehicles is available here. Co-authored by Stephen O. Andersen, James A. Baker, Timothy D. Craig, Sangeet H. Kapoor, Steven G. Schaeber, Jr., and Sean Dennis (Technical Editor).
