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self cleaning
Nissan begins testing dirt-repellent car that will make car washes obsolete
By applying super-hydrophobic and oleophobic paint, which repels both water and oil, the car can repel water, mud and dirt from the car.
WASHING YOUR CAR isn’t something that many people enjoy, but such a task could soon be a thing of the past.
Nissan’s European branch is currently testing out a nano-paint coating on its Nissan Note that repels mud, rain and dirt from the car.
By applying super-hydrophobic and oleophobic paint, which repels both water and oil, it ensures that the car manages to stay clean regardless of what conditions it drives through.
So far, the company says it’s responded well to common use cases such as rain, spray, frost, sleet and standing water, but its engineers will be testing it out in different conditions over the next few months to ensure it works in all conditions.
It’s not a new technology by any means -researchers from a Dutch university developed a coating which gives cars and other devices the same capability back in 2012 - but Nissan says the Note is the first car to trial this paint.
Nissan doesn’t have any plans for the technology to be applied to the Note as standard, but it says it “will continue to consider the coating technology as a future aftermarket option.”
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