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The automotive sector is increasingly preparing for a shift away from PFAS, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), with Honda becoming the latest company to consider a phase-out plan.
The trade association’s comments underline growing pressure on the automotive sector to identify PFAS-free alternatives ahead of expected EU restrictions on the chemical class, while warning that the transition will be slow due to the sheer number and complexity of vehicle applications.
Hyundai Motor Company recently announced plans to phase out PFAS from its products ahead of restrictions the company expects could begin applying from 2029, including the broad EU-wide PFAS ban proposal. Electric car company Polestar has also said it intends to phase out PFAS, but has not set a clear deadline yet.
Japanese automaker Honda is the latest company to say it is considering a phased discontinuation of PFAS, though it has not yet defined what that would entail. "While we are internally considering plans for a phased discontinuation, we do not currently have any plans to disclose them externally," a company spokesperson told Chemical Watch News & Insight.
ACEA said many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are actively engaging with their suppliers to identify technically feasible PFAS-free alternatives, driven by evolving regulatory expectations, corporate sustainability commitments and customer demand.
But it warned that the pace of that transition should not be underestimated, as there is currently no universal replacement that delivers the same performance across all applications, leaving the automotive sector dependent on the upstream supply chain to develop suitable replacements while avoiding regrettable substitution.
Depending on the application, ACEA said, identifying an alternative can take three to five years and, in some cases, even longer. "In parallel, suppliers must be able to manufacture these alternatives at sufficient scale to meet market demand," said the association's spokesperson.
Collaborative limits
The automotive sector, including Polestar, has also called for more collaboration to support the PFAS transition. The move away from PFAS is "fundamentally a supply chain challenge rather than something that can be addressed by individual vehicle manufacturers alone," said ACEA.
Hyundai has set up a company-wide PFAS council, bringing together teams responsible for hazardous substance management, material development and product design. However, extending this approach across the wider industry presents additional challenges.
ACEA said OEMs rely on a complex network of chemical suppliers, material producers, component manufacturers and technology developers, but strict competition law limits how far companies can collaborate.
Any industry-wide initiative, ACEA said, would need to be carefully structured to ensure full compliance with antitrust rules and to avoid discussions that could affect competition.
The challenge also varies by application. ACEA said fluoropolymers perform a wide range of critical functions, such as heat resistance, electric insulation and water repellence, with no single alternative able to replace them across all uses.
"Any collaborative initiative would therefore be most effective if it focused on pre-competitive topics, such as research priorities, testing standards, regulatory interpretation, and shared technical challenges, while leaving individual companies to develop and qualify their own solutions," said the trade association.