The paint that could COOL your car

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The paint that could COOL your car

A team at Nissan has been quietly developing paint that could lower the temperature inside a car. In first tests of vehicles parked in the sun, the outside surface is up to 12C cooler, and the interior, up to 5C.

The key to the paint is “metamaterial” — synthetic composite materials with structures that have properties “not usually found in nature”.

Apart from our comfort, the global energy saving from running vehicle air conditioners less could be significant.

The Nissan team has been working in partnership with Radi-Cool, specialists in radiative cooling products, as part of the ********* car manufacturing giant’s commitment to back innovators with clever ideas, all working towards a cleaner, more sustainable society.

Camera IconSeeing the heat. The car on the left, with cool paint, is 27C. The car on the right, with normal paint, is 35C. Credit: SuppliedPUTTING IT ON TRIAL

looking good

Last November, the team Nissan started a 12-month feasibility trial at the Tokyo International Air Terminal at Haneda.

A Nissan NV100 service vehicle used by All Nippon Airways (ANA) airport services was treated with cool paint.

A Nissan spokesperson tells me: “With its large, open tarmac, Haneda airport provided the perfect environment to conduct real-world evaluation of the paint’s performance under an exposed high-temperature environment.”

And they reveal: “Although still in testing phase, the results to date have been impressive. Parked side-by-side under the sun, a vehicle treated in Nissan’s cool paint has shown yields of up to a 12C reduction in exterior surface temperatures and up to 5C cooler interior, compared to a vehicle featuring traditional automotive paint.”

Apparently, the paint’s cooling performance is especially noticeable when a vehicle is parked in the sun for a long time.

The spokesperson explains: “A cooler cabin is not only more pleasant to enter, but also requires less air conditioning run-time to cool the cabin to a comfortable temperature.

“This helps reduce load to the engine, or in the case of an electric vehicle, draw on the battery.

“In both powertrains, an improvement in efficiency is expected, as well as occupant comfort.”

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconFitting heat sensors inside a test car. Credit: SuppliedTHE PAINT IN DETAIL

reactive microstructure

The metamaterial embedded in the cool paint has two microstructure particles that react to light.

+ One particle reflects near-infrared rays in sunlight that would usually trigger molecular level vibrations within the resin of normal paint. That vibration produces heat.

+ But the second particle looks like the big breakthrough. It creates electromagnetic waves which counteract the sun’s rays. They redirect energy away from the vehicle and back into the atmosphere.

The two particles working together in Nissan’s cool paint reduce the transfer of heat into the roof, bonnet, doors and other panels.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconDr Susumu Miura at a test sight. Credit: SuppliedMAN BEHIND PROJECT

dream to conserve

Dr Susumu Miura is an unassuming but very important man. Make no mistake about that.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconDr Susumu Miura presenting theory. Credit: Supplied

As senior manager and expert in the Advanced Materials and Processing Laboratory, Nissan Research Centre, he has dedicated most of his career working on ways to make cars quieter, cooler and more efficient.

Dr Miura played a leading role in developing Nissan’s award-winning noise reducing acoustic material.

And now he is leading the cool paint project.

He tells us: “My dream is to create cooler cars without consuming energy.

“This is especially important in the EV era, where the load from running air conditioning in summer can have a sizeable impact on the state of charge.”

One of the big challenges he has had to work on is making sure that a clear topcoat can be applied through a spray ****, not a roller. You see, “radiant cooling paint” is already being used on buildings but is thick and has to be put on with a paint roller. Without a clear topcoat, it can have a chalky surface.

But, since starting their work in 2021, Dr Miura and his team have tested more than 100 samples.

They are currently evaluating a thickness of 120 microns — about six times thicker than typical automotive paint.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconDr Susumu Miura at a test sight. Credit: Supplied

A Nissan spokesperson says: “They have confirmed resistance to salt and chipping, peeling, scratches, chemical reactions, along with colour consistency and repairability. As development progresses, Dr Miura and his team continue to explore thinner options that deliver the same level of cooling performance.”

They hope to be able to initially offer cool paint for special orders and in a set of colours.

Dr Miura sees strong potential — particularly for vans, trucks and ambulances that spend most of the day out driving.

And, of course, we drivers in sunny WA would see huge potential for it filtering through to our everyday cars.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconDr Susumu Miura at a test sight. Credit: Supplieddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconTesting the paint in controlled conditions. Credit: Supplieddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconSeeing the heat. The car on the left has cool paint, the car on the right, normal piant. Credit: Supplieddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconSeeing the heat. The car on the left, with cool paint, is 27C. The car on the right, with normal pian, is 35C. Credit: Supplieddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconMeasuring temperature by a car with cool paint. Credit: Supplieddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconSeeing the heat. The piece on the left has cool paint. The piece on the right has normal paint. Credit: Supplieddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconDr Susumu Miura presenting theory. Credit: Supplieddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera Icon Testing the paint in controlled conditions under lights. Credit: Supplieddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconTrail vehicles with the new cool paint. Credit: Supplieddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconThe cool paint. Credit: Supplied

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