Technoglitch
Core Member
In the escalating war to squeeze every last mile from every last drop of gas, automakers are attacking on every front, going well beyond the cratered fields of aerodynamics and optimized engine controls. Among the many frontiers of this fight, one may surprise you: temperature control.
Running the air conditioner in very hot weather can cut fuel economy by five to 25 percent, according to the Department of Energy. For electric cars, cranking up the cool can be equally debilitating, draining the electricity you need to actually go places. In either case, the cooler you can make the car without pulling from the battery, the better.
One of the most promising weapons in this battle for temperature control goes to work before you even turn the key: Solar reflective paint aims to minimize the amount of heat a car’s exterior paint absorbs, keeping the cabin cooler and reducing the need for the air conditioner.
Which brings us to this 2017 Toyota Prius that customers in Japan can get in a seriously questionable lime green paint job. “Thermo-Tect Lime Green” (hey, there are worse names) represents the auto industry’s first production use of solar reflective paint. The paint, for now available only in Japan as a $350 option, is packed with tiny reflective titanium oxide particles and doesn’t contain carbon black, a common ingredient in paint that tends to absorb lots of heat.
Toyota's Lime Green Paint May Be Ugly, But It Can Cut Gas Bills | WIRED
Running the air conditioner in very hot weather can cut fuel economy by five to 25 percent, according to the Department of Energy. For electric cars, cranking up the cool can be equally debilitating, draining the electricity you need to actually go places. In either case, the cooler you can make the car without pulling from the battery, the better.
One of the most promising weapons in this battle for temperature control goes to work before you even turn the key: Solar reflective paint aims to minimize the amount of heat a car’s exterior paint absorbs, keeping the cabin cooler and reducing the need for the air conditioner.
Which brings us to this 2017 Toyota Prius that customers in Japan can get in a seriously questionable lime green paint job. “Thermo-Tect Lime Green” (hey, there are worse names) represents the auto industry’s first production use of solar reflective paint. The paint, for now available only in Japan as a $350 option, is packed with tiny reflective titanium oxide particles and doesn’t contain carbon black, a common ingredient in paint that tends to absorb lots of heat.
Toyota's Lime Green Paint May Be Ugly, But It Can Cut Gas Bills | WIRED