Nissan, which is experimenting with self-cleaning car paint, just announced that it has developed a glow-in-the-dark car paint. The automaker is demonstrating the product in its European market on the new Nissan LEAF.
According to company officials, the paint absorbs the sun’s rays during the day and then glows for between eight and ten hours after the sun goes down. Although other car makers have developed similar products in the past, Nissan says that this paint will continue to glow for as long as 25 years.
The product was developed by Hamish Scott, owner of Pro-Teq Surfacing, who created an organic paint. The paint, called Starpath, is a sprayable coating that contains Strontium Aluminate, a powder often used in glow-in-the-dark toys. Nissan is calling the product “organic, ultra-violet energized paint.”
Nissan chose to use the paint on the LEAF in an effort to encourage people to convert to solar power at home. The LEAF, which is an electric car, is designed to demonstrate sustainability and the future of automobiles. Nissan says that it hopes the car as well as the option for unique paint will encourage people to further reduce their carbon footprint.
The paint is similar to that used on roadways in the Netherlands, although the technology appears to be slightly different as the Nissan version is entirely organic while other glow-in-the-dark compounds are not. Because Nissan was promoting environmentally-friendly technology, they wanted an organic compound that would demonstrate ways for consumers to move toward a more “green” lifestyle.
Currently, Nissan does not plan to offer the glow-in-the-dark paint to consumers. At last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, the company demonstrated what it called “self-cleaning” paint which repels dirt and grease. Although it looks similar to traditional auto paint, the self-cleaning version was rough and has not yet been released to the public.
A press release from Nissan said that the Nissan LEAF costs a sixth of what it costs to run a traditional diesel or gasoline powered vehicle. The car also uses solar panels so that it uses 25 percent electricity than other electric vehicles. According to the company, LEAF owners in Europe have been embracing solar energy due to the savings they are realizing from the extremely energy-efficient vehicle. This led them to develop additional ways to demonstrate how solar energy can not only save consumers money, but also reduce their carbon footprint. It is Nissan’s hope that the organic glow-in-the-dark paint, the first of its kind, will further encourage consumers to save energy.
