Cooler Cars Coming?

Submitted by Ben Upham

Call it the "Automotive Sauna Reduction Act of 2009." Standards just  adopted in California will soon require new cars to have windows that  reflect or absorb more of the sun's rays, reducing that  just-opened-the-car-door blast of heat by an average of 14 degrees.

But personal comfort is just a side-benefit of the measure, which is part of the California Air Resources Board(CARB)'s wide-ranging plan to reduce greenhouse gases from vehicles.

By lowering the interior temperature of cars, these new windows will  reduce the need for air conditioning, thereby increasing fuel
efficiency and lowering pollution. The Board estimates the measure,  which takes effect in 2012, will prevent about 700,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere by 2020 -- the equivalent of taking 140,000 cars off the road.

A range of approaches will be used to meet the standard, including  coating windows with microscopic metallic specks, and mixing chemicals  directly into the glass. Compared with cars currently in showrooms, the  new windows will block 33 percent more heat-producing rays from the  sun, lowering temperatures 14 degrees for cars, and 12 degrees for SUVs.

In a press release, the Board emphasized that windshields compliant with the standard "will continue to offer full visibility."