The worst thing about summertime cruising is burning your ass on a hot vinyl or leather car seat, right? Well, not any more.
Nissan is trialing a new paint technology that’s engineered to keep vehicle interiors cool all summer.
“Developed in partnership with Radi-Cool, a specialist in radiative cooling products, the paint incorporates metamaterial, synthetic composite materials with structures that exhibit properties not usually found in nature,” Nissan explained in a press release.
The metamaterial embedded in the paint features two microstructure particles that react to light. One particle reflects near-infrared rays in the sunlight that typically cause molecular level vibrations within the resin of traditional paint to produce heat. The second particle creates electromagnetic waves that counteract the sun’s rays and redirect the energy away from the vehicle into the atmosphere.
The Japanese automaker recently tested the paint under the hot sun on the tarmac at Haneda Airport. The results were promising. “Parked side-by-side under the sun, a vehicle treated in Nissan’s cool paint has shown yields of up to a 21.6-degree Fahrenheit reduction in exterior surface temperatures and up to 9-degree Fahrenheit cooler interior, compared to a vehicle featuring traditional automotive paint,” Nissan said.
The benefits are two-fold: Not only does the paint keep the car’s exterior and interior cooler, but it also makes it so drivers don’t need to keep the AC running for a long time to bring the cabin down to a comfortable temperature.
“My dream is to create cooler cars without consuming energy” said lead developer Dr. Susumu Miura. “This is especially important in the EV era, where the load from running air-conditioning in summer can have a sizable impact on the state of charge.”
Although the paint isn’t yet available to customers, Miura is hopeful that it’s only a matter of time before it becomes ubiquitous. Now that would be pretty cool! 🥁
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