by Mark Witeski
While many proud car owners love spending some quality time with their vehicle by lavishing attention – and soapy water – on it, many of us find car washing an absolute chore. Fortunately, it could soon be a thing of the past as Nissan has developed the world’s first ‘self-cleaning car’.
The accompanying video demonstrates the dirt-repelling power of the Nissan Note’s cutting-edge paintwork. As you can see, water, dirt and even sticky mud are no match for its ultra-resistant properties.
At the time of writing, this YouTube video has clocked up over 3.3 million views, which goes to show just how many people are keen to avoid washing their cars! Nissan’s paint treatment technology has passed a number of initial trial phases and is currently in an advanced state of testing with a view towards aftermarket use in the near future.
The science behind the technology points towards a spray-on treatment that creates a layer of air formed between the paint and the environment to protect the car from all manner of dirt and grime that is commonly thrown against the bodywork even during sedate driving. The superhydrophobic treatment increases the contact angle of water droplets so that the liquid simply rolls away rather than sticking to a surface.
A Nissan spokesperson was recently quoted in an interview for the Independent saying that the Nissan Note has: “responded well to common use cases including rain, spray, frost, sleet and standing water.”
Should the superhydrophobic treatment be approved and become available to Nissan Note customers as a paint option then it is estimated that it will cost somewhere in the region of US$750. While this might seem a little pricey for a paint job, once you factor in the savings in time and money as you will no longer need to wash your car, it becomes a lot more attractive.
Currently Nissan only plans to get the treatment approved and apply it to the Note but with the new flagship sedan – the Nissan Maxima scheduled for release in November (according to carsales.com.au) it shouldn’t be long before the Ultra-Ever Dry paintwork becomes a standard option across the Nissan fleet.
Should the new technology gain an enthusiastic response from Nissan customers, it isn’t hard to imagine other car manufacturers getting in on the act. As the treatment coating is based on technology patented by American company Ultra-Ever Dry, its speedy application to cars across the world isn’t an unlikely prospect, meaning that carwash owners should clearly watch out!
This was a sponsored post which met the CarNewsCafe editorial guidelines for newsworthiness.