• The award was given by an independent panel of judges to the CO2-based evaporator/chiller
• The award-winning technology meets the most stringent thermal management requirements of the next generation electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles
• UFI Filters is confirmed as a leader in sustainable innovation, thanks to its long-standing commitment to R&D

UFI, a global leader in filtration and thermal management solutions as well as green hydrogen technologies, has won the Automotive News PACE Pilot Innovation to Watch 2025 award, reserved to innovations in the automotive and future mobility sector that are close to market launch, thanks to its CO2-based evaporator/chiller, making it the only winning company with a project conducted in the field of heat exchangers. This is a component developed to improve the technological efficiency of next-generation vehicles that need advanced thermal management, but also to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations that require the replacement of traditional refrigerants with more environmentally friendly alternatives, such as CO₂.

“This prestigious award,” says Giorgio Girondi, president of the UFI Group, “is the recognition of our ongoing commitment to being pioneers of sustainable innovation, developing cutting-edge technological solutions that represent an indispensable basis for concretely realizing the prospect of cleaner mobility.”

The annual PACE Pilot award, organized by the influential Automotive News magazine, is aimed at suppliers and start-ups that invented products, software and information technology systems or processes, and incubated ideas that can transform the automotive industry. The award is given following a thorough evaluation by an independent panel of judges.

Ready for the near future

UFI already offers seven product lines designed for thermal management of internal combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles. The winning product of the prestigious Automotive News PACE Pilot Innovation to Watch award is the innovative CO2-based evaporator/chiller designed for next-generation vehicles, which need particularly advanced thermal management to support more capable batteries, faster recharging and high performance. This innovative product is based on a stacked, vacuum-brazed plate structure that significantly improves the structural strength of the component, offering performance difficult to achieve with existing technologies based instead on micro-channels.

The CO₂ cooler is designed to withstand extremely high burst pressure requirements and pressure cycling while providing higher power and lower pressure drop. UFI heat exchangers play a crucial role in keeping battery temperatures within the optimal range, which is essential for efficient vehicle operation.

Heat exchange requirements for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids launched after 2027 will be more stringent than they are today. According to research conducted by UFI on thermal management systems, micro-channel evaporators will not be able to keep up with these growing requirements. At the same time, a ban on the use of PFAS (the environmentally and health-damaging perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl chemicals) is expected to take effect in Europe from 2029, forcing automakers to adopt other solutions, such as CO₂. UFI’s evaporator solution, which uses R744 refrigerant gas composed of CO₂, an alternative to fluorinated refrigerants that is natural, non-toxic and non-flammable, will be available to the market at just the right time. In addition, R744 offers better energy performance and economic benefits because carbon dioxide is widely available.

With this solution, UFI once again positions itself as a leader in innovation and sustainability, also bringing its technological contribution to the field of future thermal management for the automotive industry.