Nissan
After months of testing, Nissan’s innovative heat-dissipating paint technology is showing promising results.
Talk about a cool paint job. Nissan has partnered with Radi-Cool, a specialist in radiative cooling products, to develop an automotive paint that can better dissipate heat. Early test results show that interior temperatures can be reduced by as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit and exterior surface temperatures can be reduced by nearly 22 degrees Fahrenheit, thanks to the new cool paint.
The new paint technology could hold benefits in terms of improving automotive efficiency, in part by reducing the energy needed to control cabin temperatures. On hot days, lowering the cabin temperature to a reasonable level usually requires a prolonged period of running the air-conditioning system, which in turn puts an additional load on the powertrain. (This is especially notable on electric vehicles, as the climate control system can have a more apparent effect on range.)
Nissan has been testing the new material at the Tokyo International Air Terminal at Haneda airport since November 2023. Airport service makes for a good practical testing ground, as vehicles spend a lot of time under the hot sun on the tarmac. Compared to vehicles clad in traditional coats, the ones with the cool paint applied have shown significant temperature decreases—inside and out.
This cooling effect is a result of the metamaterial embedded in the paint. There are two microstructure particles that react to light: one particle reflects near-infrared rays from sunlight, which normally would produce heat; the other particle creates electromagnetic waves that redirect the rays back into the atmosphere. (Nissan’s press release was cagey about the latter part, perhaps because there’s proprietary information about how it works.)
The results have been impressive, but there’s still more work to be done before the new technology is ready for production vehicles. The paint being tested today is 120 microns thick, six times the thickness of regular automotive paint. Also, the team is working on developing colors besides the initial white . . . as not everyone wants a white car.
Initially, Nissan says the cool paint will be aimed at commercial vehicle applications, such as delivery vans and long-distance trucks. Eventually, however, the technology could potentially become an option on regular passenger cars.
