Global temperatures continue to rise, and summers are becoming increasingly hot, making getting into a car parked in the sun a hellish experience. In response to this problem, Nissan has developed an innovative solution: a paint that can significantly reduce the temperature interior of the vehicle.
This ‘cool paint’ not only promises greater comfort, but also an improvement in the energy efficiency of electric vehicles: the cooler the interior of a car is in summer, the less air conditioning is needed and, therefore, less battery will be consumed.
What is Nissan’s new “cold paint” and how does it work?
Nissan’s new ‘cool paint’ is a specialized thermal coating designed specifically to reflect solar energy and reduce heat build-up inside the vehicle.
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Developed in collaboration with cooling product specialists Radi-Cool, this paint uses metamaterials that incorporate specific microstructured particles to reflect infrared rays and create electromagnetic waves that deflect solar energy.
In November 2023, Nissan began a 12-month feasibility trial of its ‘cold paint’ at Tokyo International Air Terminal in Haneda. In collaboration with Japan Airport Terminal Co and All Nippon Airways (ANA) Airport Services, the paint was applied to a number of Nissan NV100 vans using airport services.
With its large open runway, Haneda Airport provided the perfect environment to conduct a real-world evaluation of the paint’s performance in an environment exposed to high temperatures. Preliminary results are impressive, showing a reduction of up to 5.7ºC (21.6ºF) in the exterior surface temperature and up to 12.7ºC (9ºF) cooler inside compared to vehicles with conventional paint.
We must remember that, when the outside temperature is about 35 ºC, if we leave a vehicle parked in the sun the interior becomes a real hell: the “greenhouse effect of the car” In just half an hour it can easily exceed 50ºC.
Although Thermal coatings are nothing new and have been used on buildings for decades, their application on vehicles presents significant challenges. Unlike other thermal coatings that are typically thick and applied with rollers, Nissan’s cold paint is thin enough to be sprayed and may incorporate a clear top coat that protects it from damage such as scratches.
At around 120 microns thick, it is much thinner than the usual 400 microns, or even the 800 microns of some of the most commonly used thermal paints.
Nevertheless, Nissan’s ‘cold paint’ is still about six times thicker than typical car paintwhich is why its development also presents a higher cost and additional weight due to the thickness of the paint. To solve this, the Japanese brand is testing its paint in various thicknesses.
Future applications of Nissan’s “cold paint”
Leading the development of this ‘cool paint’ is Dr Susumu Miura, director and expert at Nissan Research Centre’s Advanced Materials and Processes Laboratory. Dr Miura played a leading role in Nissan’s award-winning noise-reducing acoustic material, and has spent much of his career at Nissan exploring ways to make cars quieter, cooler and more efficient.
“My dream is to create cooler cars without consuming energy,” he explained. “This is especially important in the era of electric vehicles, where the load from running the air conditioning in summer can have a considerable impact on the state of charge.”
Nissan is exploring the possibility of applying this technology to a variety of vehicles, including cars and light commercial vehicles such as vans, trucks and ambulancesAdditionally, they are working on developing versions of the paint in colors other than white, which will broaden its applicability and aesthetic appeal.
With global temperatures rising, Nissan’s innovation comes at a crucial time. Not only does the “cool paint” for vehicles promise to make getting into a car in the middle of summer more comfortable, it can also help make it more energy efficient.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
