YM LEMY teams up with Hyundai Motor to develop eco-friendly refrigerant

YM LEMY Corp. logo [Courtesy of YM LEMY]

YM LEMY Corp., the only South Korean manufacturer and developer of refrigerants for home appliances and cars, has entered into a partnership with Hyundai Motor Co. to localize environmentally-friendly refrigerants.

YM LEMY, which has focused in the refrigerant business for over 20 years, has provided a replacement refrigerant for freon to multinational automakers such as General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. The company holds internationally recognized certifications and patents related to refrigerants. It operates its own research center and a production facility with a capacity of 4,000 tons per year in Gyeongju, southeast of Seoul.

The importance of environmentally-friendly refrigerants is increasingly emphasized due to greenhouse gas emission regulations and carbon neutrality policies pursued by governments worldwide. The global refrigerant market is dominated by foreign companies such as DuPont and Honeywell.

The market is worth 440 billion won ($334 million) in South Korea and 25 trillion won worldwide. Currently, DuPont’s R-1234yf is the leading environmentally friendly refrigerant in the market. Almost all cars released in South Korea since 2018 use R-1234yf, which costs around $75 per kilogram, 15 times more expensive than the previous refrigerant that cost around $5.

Due to the monopoly of the market by DuPont and Honeywell, global automakers such as GM, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota are forming consortia with air conditioning companies, parts manufacturers, and research centers for independent development of environmentally-friendly refrigerants, according to YM LEMY Chairman and Chief Executive Officer SangJe Sung in a recent interview with Maeil Business Newspaper.

YM LEMY is collaborating with Hyundai Motor, Korea Automotive Technology Institute, Estra Automotive and Korea University to develop environmentally-friendly refrigerants for electric cars as part of a national project.

Internal combustion engine cars use the heat generated from the engine for indoor heating, meaning that there is no battery consumption or reduced driving range due to heating. However, for electric cars that use a heat pump system for thermal management, the amount of electricity available in the winter is limited, and battery use is required for heating, resulting in high power consumption and reduced driving range. This is why global automakers are striving to develop efficient refrigerants for electric cars.

YM LEMY is currently developing environmentally-friendly refrigerants for an integrated thermal management system for electric cars. The company has already completed the development of a refrigerant that can replace R-1234yf. YM LEMY plans to complete its R&D project by 2025 and begin mass production from 2027, Sung said.