What a bright idea.
Japanese car manufacturer Nissan has announced the launch of a glow-in-the-dark car. They've teamed up with inventor Hamish Scott, who previously created Starpath glow-in-the-dark spray-on coating for footpaths and roads.
Using similar ingredients for his Starpath spray, including strontium aluminate, he has created a car paint for Nissan's electric car, the LEAF.
After absorbing ultraviolet light during the day to 'power up', it offers 8 to 10 hours of glow time, with the paint promising to last for up to 25 years. While it's not commercially available yet, Scott says that, "This is no gimmick. This is a serious technology that is going to be used in an awful lot of places."
With many LEAF owners installing solar panels to charge their cars for free, this concept offers the promise of safe, cheap motoring for the future.
Scott, meanwhile, wants to extend the technology to boats and bikes in the hopes of improving safety. While a laudable aim, the main advantage we see is in moving us one step closer to the Tron-style version of the world that we all want to live in.
[via Gizmag]
(Images: Nissan/Hamish Scott)
