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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Beginning with the 2012 model year, a quarter of passenger vehicles sold in California must have specially coated windshields that block 50 percent of the sun's heat from a parked car... (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23129)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Flex-car_car_sharing_Prius.jpgRicardo Bowlin - CleanMPG (CleanMPG.com) - June 26, 2009

Cooler cars and cooler drivers will save fuel in California.

As a result of yesterday’s unanimous vote by the California Air Resources Board to enact California Assembly bill AB-32’s Cool Car Standards and Test Procedures, auto manufacturers will increase the use of IR reflective glass to improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions for vehicles sold in California starting in model year 2012. The phase-in schedule for the new regulations will be aggressive, with full implementation by model year 2014, and apply not only to cars and light duty trucks but to all medium-duty vehicles weighing up to 10,000 pounds.

The move by the California Air Resources Board was intended to keep cars, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles cooler during hot weather, reducing the use of air conditioning.

"The end result of it is the customer gets a car that's more comfortable to ride in, air conditioners don't have to work as hard, and the atmosphere will be happier because we won't be emitting as much carbon dioxide," said board chairwoman Mary Nichols.

Today’s decision dramatically expands the market for IR reflective glass technology, which blocks the sun’s heat to keep a vehicle’s interior cool and saves fuel by reducing use of air conditioning, which accounts for 5.5% of total fuel consumption or 7 billion gallons of gas annually. Although the new glass is mandated only for cars sold in California, automakers may eventually decide to adopt the technology nationwide as part of a comprehensive program to meet President Barack Obama’s new federal fuel-efficiency standards.

California-based Southwall Technologies manufactures heat reflective XIR film and had a representative present at the meeting.

“Southwall fully supports the efforts of the California Air Resources Board to improve the environment both locally and globally,” said Matt Coda, product engineering manager with Southwall Technologies, during testimony yesterday in Sacramento before a public hearing to announce the new regulations. “IR reflective glass incorporating XIR film technology is already being used in over 20 million cars in Europe and can help the US auto industry reduce air conditioning power consumption up to 20% and increase fuel efficiency up to 5%.”

Anticipating increased demand for its XIR product, the company expects to expand film production capacity.

“We’re ready to help US auto glass manufacturers meet these newly mandated requirements with our innovative and proven XIR film technology,” said Dennis Capovilla, Southwall’s president and CEO. “The passage of AB-32 is a victory for energy efficiency, and Southwall is well positioned to meet the challenge.”

Authorized by passage of the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, the new regulations are part of the Air Resource Board’s long term plan to reduce California greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. In California alone, the new regulations are expected to result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide, of 0.7 million metric tons per year by 2020 and approximately 1.2 million metric tons per year by 2040.

If the techs been around for 20 years, why haven't we seen it on all the cars already?

I wonder how the glass prevents blinding on-coming traffic when the sun is low?

I want MY car to have reflective glass, thank you very much.

So if there is an emergency, what about rolling down the window then call?

Already done.

I had the reflective tint (non-organic) applied to my HCH-I last summer. I don't use the AC very often, but my girlfriend was roasting on a road trip last year. She was in the direct sunlight and had to crank the AC all the way and was still uncomfortable.

We took a trip two weeks back and she commented on how much better it was with the reflective tint. :)

...and I get to use less AC :)

I wonder how the glass prevents blinding on-coming traffic when the sun is low?

You don't tint the windshield.

So if there is an emergency, what about rolling down the window then call?

come on Chuck, how can you expect people to think? You know these ideas of yours are really starting to get on my nerves :p. Seriously though, it seems the general public prefers to have no idea of what's going on and how it works...I wonder when the next wave of evolution will take place...hmmm. maybe this whole AGW thing has it's timing in place...

If they want to keep the cars cool, they should also mandate only white cars. Is it just me or do we have too much government in our lives?

If they want to keep the cars cool, they should also mandate only white cars. Is it just me or do we have too much government in our lives?

We would have less government if we had less idiots in our lifes. ;)

I wonder how the glass prevents blinding on-coming traffic when the sun is low?

You don't tint the windshield.

The "reflective coating" is very likely reflective in the infrared range only, not for visible light, like mirrors are. Most new windows for homes use "Low Emissivity" glass, or "Low E" for short. It is a coating in between the two panes of glass that allows infrared to enter when it's close to perpendicular to the window (as in winter sun) but reflects infrared when it's closer to parallel to the window (as it is during the summer when the sun is higher in the sky). Looking at a window in a store or installed in a home, you can't tell if it is a Low-E window or not. So this idea would work well in cars, where it wouldn't affect the transmission of visible light through the glass, but can reduce heat buildup in summer.

Besides reflective glass, another thing that helps: I've had sunroofs on a couple of cars, and they work wonders on hot days - especially for clearing the hot air out of a car when it's been parked in the sun. Opening the roof and letting the hot air escape upwards works many times faster than opening the windows and blasting the fan or A/C, saving a LOT of energy.

I am NOT suggesting the government mandate sunroofs. I sure would like to see them available on a wider range of cars though. Usually you have to buy a top-end trim line to get one (and I have no interest in spending thousands extra on crap like leather, Nav and HIDs just to get a sunroof). Maybe greater awareness of this as an energy issue could eventually help stimulate consumer demand. Meanwhile, maybe I should get an aftermarket one for my Jetta.