Nissan is experimenting an innovative car paint which helps lower the cabin temperature in summer, reducing the energy consumption used for the air conditioning system. Developed in collaboration with Radi-Cool, company specializing in radiant cooling products, this paint contains synthetic composite metamaterials with properties not normally found in nature.
Nissan and the Cooling Paint Technology
The project is part of Nissan’s research into innovations that help improve driver and passenger comfort and create a cleaner, more sustainable society. In November last year, the Japanese company launched a 12-month test phase at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. The results achieved so far are impressive: Parked in the sun, the vehicle treated with Nissan’s cooling paint recorded external surface temperatures 12 degrees Celsius lower and internal temperatures 5 degrees Celsius lower than a vehicle with conventional paint.
Impressive results
These performances are determined by two microstructure particles present in the paint: one reflects the sun’s rays near infrared, while the other creates electromagnetic waves that counteract the sun’s rays, facilitating heat dispersion. Nissan’s main challenge was to create a product light enough to be used in clear coats, applied with a spray gun and able to meet the brand’s rigorous quality standards: after testing over 100 samplesthe expert team is working to achieve a paint thickness of 120 microns, resistant to salt, chipping, peeling, scratches and chemical reactions.
Cooler cars without consuming energy
In addition to cars, this cooling paint would offer great benefits for light commercial vehicles, trucks and ambulancesvehicles characterised by high levels of use even in severe temperature conditions. “My dream is to create cooler cars without consuming energy. This is especially important for electric vehiclesfor which the use of air conditioning in summer can have a considerable impact on battery charge”explained Susumu Miura, Senior Manager and Expert at the Advanced Materials and Processing Laboratory, Nissan Research Center.
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