Everything is becoming smarteven automotive glass.
Smart glass offers numerous benefits, such as customizability, increased fuel economy, and noise reduction.
What Is Smart Glass?
Image Credit:BMW
How Does Smart Glass Work?
Take a deeper dive into how electrophoresis works atSmart Glass Worldif you’re fascinated by all things physics.
Fortunately, you don’t need to understand Brownian motion to enjoy all the benefits smart glass offers.
Image Credit:Smartglass International
It can block 99% of light.
This is also good news for children in the back seat.
While built-in shades protect them from the sun’s glare, it often obscures the view.
Image Credit:Intelligent Glass
Smart glass can be adjusted to remain transparent or opaque inside the cabin.
Smart glass also circumnavigates the bureaucratic mazes of window tinting laws.
While some states allow for dark tints, others allow for none at all.
This makes following the laws especially tricky if you live near a state line or travel extensively.
Continental’s smart glass even allows variable shading, meaning each window can be darkened individually.
Fuel Economy
Thermal control goes hand in hand with fuel economy.
Because smart glass can block the sun, it reduces the need for AC on hot days.
Does this mean your windows will turn into mobile ads, rolling the roads for all to see?
With customization and data collection comes the opportunity for marketing.
HUDs aren’t new.
In addition to HUD, smart glass could help our frequent traveling companions: dogs.
In addition to keeping out prying eyes, Smart Glass keeps out damaging UV rays.
Noise Reduction
Smart glass can reduce noise inside cabins.
Which Vehicles Already Have Smart Glass?
Unfortunately, right now, vehicles with smart glass are expensive.
For example, thenew Cadillac Celestique EVfeatures a four-quadrant smart glass roof and a price upward of 300K.
Many high-end vehicles from McLaren, Mercedes, and BMW feature smart glass, along with numerous concept cars.
Mercedes leads the pack offering a smart glass panoramic roof in 14 models per anSEC filing by Research Frontiers.
