Cooling Paint for Cars
Nissan unveiled a new “cool paint” designed to keep vehicle interiors cooler, though its thickness, six times that of standard paint, presents commercialization challenges.
The announcement coincided with record-breaking heat in Japan, making the news particularly relevant. Nissan tested the paint on vehicles at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, an area with minimal shade, providing a prime environment to evaluate the technology.
While the cars with the special paint appeared ordinary, they were noticeably cooler to the touch. Nissan reported that the paint lowered roof-panel temperatures by 12 degrees Celsius (22 degrees Fahrenheit) and reduced interior temperatures by 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit).
Cooling materials are already common in buildings and other applications. Cooler cars can reduce air conditioning use and alleviate heat stress on engines and electric vehicle batteries. Toyota Motor Corp. is also experimenting with sun-reflective paints to lower cabin temperatures, primarily focusing on colors.
Nissan’s cool paint not only reflects sunlight but also generates electromagnetic waves to block the rays, redirecting energy away from the vehicle. This paint was developed in collaboration with Radi-Cool of China, which also creates heat-reducing films, fabrics, and coatings, including cooler-feeling hats and sun parasols. Nissan is the sole Japanese automaker partnering with Radi-Cool.
Susumu Miura, a manager at Nissan Research Center, assured that the electromagnetic waves emitted by the paint posed no health risks, noting that such waves are ubiquitous.
I live in Austin, TX and if this actually works, it would be a game changer in the hot summer months!!