By Cameron Chai
The Saflex S series solar absorbing interlayer from Solutia is now available for commercial automotive applications.
The material absorbs solar heat that is spread through the vehicle's glazing. This minimizes air conditioning usage, reduces CO2 emissions and enhances fuel economy of the vehicle. The Saflex S series interlayer is also offered in an acoustic formulation and provides traditional safety advantages of laminated glazing. Solar absorbing products are compatible with wireless communication devices like electronic toll sensors, GPS units and mobile phones.
There is an increasing demand for sustainable and highly fuel-efficient vehicle from the users. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has performed several simulations and evaluations on pure electric vehicles and found that the use of air conditioning can decrease the vehicles’ driving range by 15% to 40%, which depends on the usage rate and unit size. The studies have revealed that application of an advanced solar glazing technology in the windscreen can minimize cabin temperatures by 2° to 3°C, thus leading to reduction in air conditioning usage.
Saflex S series interlayer is used as a drop-in windscreen product that can reduce CO2 emissions and increase fuel efficiency and cabin comfort in the existing and new internal combustion vehicles. The interlayer has undergone two years of natural Florida and Arizona exposure testing and five years of accelerated exposure testing to ensure the stability and weathering performance of the material to automotive manufacturers.
Source: http://www.solutia.com/