By CRM Staff
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — February 27, 2018 — PPG is looking to the future with a new paint mobility team specifically in place to develop paint technologies for electric cars and autonomous vehicles.
“PPG has a long history of providing paints and coatings that help automotive manufacturers protect and beautify vehicles, as well as coatings applied to bridges, roadways and public infrastructure. Mobility promises to not only change how PPG delivers its products to customers, but also what our customers will do with those products,” says Calum Munro, a senior scientist at PPG.
The company is aware that these innovative vehicles will require different technologies to maintain their paint coatings, as the wear and tear they endure will be different than the average driver operated vehicle. The types of coatings the company is focusing on goes beyond standard external coatings for auto body parts. They are also looking at coatings for mechanical and electric parts.
PPG discussed new developments of the paint coatings they have been working on for battery packs found in electric and hybrid vehicles at the North American International Auto Show last month in Detroit. The Auto Show showcase from PPG also featured their improved coatings for darker coloured vehicles, allowing them to be more visible to infrared sensor technology used by autonomous vehicles.
In a recent announcement PPG revealed current plans include coatings to help maintain a vehicle’s cleanliness, inside and out. They are testing paints that are smudge-free, so the cameras and sensors in autonomous vehicles are not obstructed by smudges and debris. For interiors one area of development is focusing on maintaining pristine cleanliness with ride-sharing autonomous vehicles in mind. For exteriors the company is continuing to develop better coatings for LIDAR reflectivity, related to AVs detecting other vehicles on the road.
For more information visit ppg.com.
