The summer sun can turn a car's interior into practically an oven. But what if a car could stay relatively cooler without cranking up the AC? Nissan's new car paint might just make that possible.

Developed in partnership with Radi-Cool, the paint uses metamaterial technology to reflect sunlight and dissipate heat.The metamaterial features two microstructure particles that react to light. One of those particles reflects near-infrared rays in the sunlight that would typically generate heat.The other one creates electromagnetic waves that counteract the sun's rays, reflecting some of it back into the atmosphere. In fact, radiant cooling paint isn’t new at all - it is just typically used for buildings and structures. Since it's quite thick, a paint roller is required. However,Dr. Susumu Miura (head of research) stated that their team is trying to achieve a clear topcoat, applied via a spray gun.

The paint's effectiveness has been demonstrated through a year-long trial at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, where the paint was applied to a Nissan NV100 service vehicle. Compared to traditional paints, Nissan's cool paint showcased a notable reduction - 12-degree Celsius decrease in exterior surface temperatures and up to 5-degree Celsius cooler interior when exposed to direct sunlight. This translates to lower air conditioning demands, ultimately improving fuel efficiency for traditional vehicles and extended battery life for electric vehicles.

While still under development, the technology could be game-changing for vehicles that spend a lot of time under the sun, like delivery vans and trucks.