Can a Self-Cleaning Car be Just Around the Corner?

By Bill McLauchlan

Washing a car can be a chore … and a costly one at that if you choose to run it through the car wash whenever you fuel up at the gas pump.

Hand washing it can also be a chore for those in their middle and later years as decreasing flexibility, creaky knees and other age-related aches and pains begin to make their presence felt. Even if none of the above is a problem yet you might still have to contend with the after effects from sore, stiff muscles unaccustomed to the stretching, bending and stooping associated with washing away your car’s endless accumulation of dirt and road grime.

Either way, Nissan hopes to offer a helping hand. It’s currently testing an innovative nano-paint technology that repels dirt and which could make car washes obsolete.

Photo: Newspress

The automaker has begun testing a new paint technology that repels mud, rain and everyday dirt, meaning drivers may never have to clean their car again.

This intriguing possibility comes courtesy of a specially engineered paint that repels water and oils. This super-hydrophobic (water) and oleophobic (hydrocarbons) coating has been applied to a sub-compact Note by Nissan to create what it terms the world’s first self-cleaning car.

The company is the first automaker to utilize the technology, called Ultra-Ever Dry®, on automotive bodywork. By creating a protective layer of air between the paint and environment, it effectively stops standing water and road spray from creating dirty marks on the car’s surface. The paint’s super-hydrophobic properties also eliminate the formation of ice – a characteristic that would have been very welcome after last winter’s huge ice storm.

Photo: Newspress

To assess the real-world effectiveness of the paint, engineers at Nissan’s European Technical Centre will be testing the “self-cleaning” Note over the coming months. So far the coating has responded well to common use cases including rain, spray, frost, sleet and standing water. No word on its ability to shrug off an aerial bombardment from the odd seagull or a flock of Canada Geese.

At the moment there are no plans for the paint to be applied to the Note as a standard feature, but the company will continue to consider the technology as a future aftermarket option. It won’t be cheap, though. A gallon of the special paint presently runs about $500 US and it takes about two to three gallons to paint a typical mid-size car.