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Wheels:
Nissan parades around in glow-in-the-dark car paint

Nissan in Europe has become the first manufacturer to apply glow-in-the-dark car paint to a standard-line vehicle. The lasting aqua-ish glow provides an eye-catching display, possible safety features, and an extra marketing boost for its all-electric LEAF. The paint is also a clever gimmick to encourage more people to convert to using solar energy at home.

This Nissan Leaf glows light blue with special organic paint. The paint was developed from STARPATH glow technology, which is shown sprayed on a walking path in this image.

 

 

The manufacturer worked with inventor Hamish Scott, owner of Pro-Teq Surfacing and inventor of STARPATH, which is a coating spray-applied to pavement that absorbs UV energy during the day so that it glows for between eight and 10 hours when the sun goes down.

While glowing car paint is already available in the after-market, as are glow-in-the-dark car wraps, the bespoke, ultraviolet-energized paint created especially for Nissan is unique thanks to its secret formula made up of entirely organic materials. It contains a very rare natural earth product called Strontium Aluminate, which is solid, odorless, and chemically and biologically inert.

Various third-party companies have applied non-organic glow-in-the-dark paint to vehicles before, but Nissan is the first carmaker to directly apply such technology. Nissan says its unique paint, if made commercially available, should glow for 25 years. The automaker did not say whether it is considering making glow paint a standard option for this or any other line of its vehicles, or if this is all simply a big experiment and way to create some media buzz.

Last year, Nissan garnered considerable media attention for releasing details about a specially engineered super-hydrophobic and oleophobic paint it was working on that repels water and oils. The company billed a Nissan Note coated with the technology as the world's first self-cleaning car.

Research recently shared by Nissan showed that 89 percent of LEAF owners charge their cars at home overnight. Some owners also have solar-energy systems for their homes. Although solar panels do not store energy or provide it outside of daylight, any leftover power generated during the day is fed back into the national grid, and homeowners can often get a government or utility payment for it. In Nissan's view, the overnight charge can paid for -- in part or as a whole -- using such a solar power system.

U.K. LEAF owner Ian Finch is one of those who has combined the savings offered by running an all-electric vehicle with solar panels to power his home.

"Running the Nissan LEAF costs a sixth of the amount we'd pay to run a diesel or petrol car," Finch says. The car has a range of up to 124 miles per full charge (assuming 95% efficiency). "Overall, we are probably using 25 percent less electricity thanks to our solar panels, and it's a fantastic experience to be able to drive the LEAF using electricity that's been produced completely for free."

Source: Nissan

Published February 2015

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