Vehicle paint specialist Axalta, the company behind the Spies Hecker, Standox, Cromax and Syrox refinish brands, has given an insight into how future coating will enable the development of autonomous vehicles.

Barry Snyder, Axalta Chief Technology Officer explains that for vehicles to “see” each other on the road safely, car paint needs to be reflective. Today, autonomous vehicle light-mapping systems called LiDAR systems can more easily detect light-coloured vehicles due to their reflectivity. Axalta’s Automotive Color of the Year 2018, StarLite is a perfect example of a light-coloured coating and it even contains pearlescent flakes that contribute to its reflectivity.

Though reflectivity plays a key role in allowing autonomous vehicles to detect each other, coatings must also be formulated to receive and transmit laser light signals through paint without interference. Sensors will be covered in coatings, so the paint formulation would allow signals to pass through the coating. If this can be achieved, car manufacturers will have more flexibility in terms of placement of the sensors and will have fewer limitations on the design of future vehicles.

Barry said, “Ultimately, vehicle design is still a major factor in car buyers’ decisions, so coatings need to be formulated to achieve the reflectivity and transmissivity required by autonomous vehicles, while also being attractive and durable. In addition, solutions should allow for colour variety since consumers seek unique and brilliant colours to match their preference. As a coatings player, Axalta is absolutely fully invested in solving these problems. We are already anticipating where these issues are and working on them.”