Recently, the national standard GB/T 45816-2025 Safety Requirements for Refrigerant Systems in Automotive Air Conditioning Systems for Road Vehicles, drafted primarily by the Longquan Industrial Innovation Institute of Zhejiang University, has been officially promulgated and will take effect on February 1, 2026.
This standard applies to air conditioning systems in passenger and commercial vehicles using HFC-134a, HFO-1234yf and R744 refrigerants. It specifies detailed safety performance specifications for refrigerant tightness, system design and other aspects, aiming to reduce potential risks to personnel, vehicles and the environment caused by system or refrigerant failures, and to maintain safety levels comparable to the mainstream legacy R134a systems.
Automotive Air Conditioning Systems for Road Vehicles | Source: Longquan Release
"The right to speak lies where standards are set," noted Xiong Shusheng, Dean of the Longquan Industrial Innovation Institute of Zhejiang University. "In the era of conventional automotive air conditioning, Longquan enterprises were followers. In the thermal management era of new energy vehicles, they became equal runners. And in today’s new refrigerant sector, Longquan is taking the lead as an industry frontrunner."
Leading the formulation of a national standard reflects Longquan’s transformation from small rural workshops to an industrial cluster, enabled by a substantive research institute. In the past, Longquan’s auto parts sector started with low-end metal hardware products, leaving limited room for corporate innovation. In recent years, the Longquan Industrial Innovation Institute of Zhejiang University has joined forces with upstream and downstream industrial chain enterprises to tackle key problems, streamline innovation chains, enhance the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, and empower the high-quality development of the new energy vehicle thermal management industry through technological innovation.
Longquan Industrial Innovation Institute | Source: Longquan Release
Leveraging the strengths of Longquan’s industrial base, the Longquan Industrial Innovation Institute of Zhejiang University organized the standard development together with R&D institutions of major automakers including FAW, SAIC and CATARC, renowned component suppliers such as Sanhua and Mahle, and leading local enterprises including Kober and Santian. The Longquan Municipal Market Supervision Administration supported the process through its one-stop service platform for quality infrastructure in the auto parts industry, driving Longquan’s auto thermal management sector to shift from "passive compliance" to "active leadership".
Today, Longquan hosts the largest industrial cluster in China’s automotive thermal management components sector, with more than 200 auto parts enterprises and a total industrial output value exceeding 10 billion yuan. It has led or participated in developing nearly 30 auto parts standards. A relevant official from the Longquan Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology stated that the city will continue to encourage enterprises to engage in the formulation of national and industrial standards, further deepen industry-university-research cooperation, and strive to build Longquan into a premier R&D hub for new energy thermal management, a national intelligent manufacturing base for thermal management, and an international distribution center for thermal management products.
Chao News • Trainee Reporter: Han Jie | Correspondents: Wu Qiqi, Lian Junyan
Source: Zhejiang Daily
