The Hyundai Motor Company has unveiled what it says is the world’s first application of a nano cooling film.

The South Korean car maker describes the film as “a revolutionary vehicle window tint that offers a significant improvement in interior cooling performance compared to conventional tint films”.

In short: Hyundai says the nano cooling film reduces the interior temperature of a vehicle by more than 10 °C, without darkening the windows.

According to the manufacturer, the film maximises heat dissipation by incorporating a nanostructure with “excellent heat transfer characteristics”.

The transparent film is expected to be more effective in hot and dry climates, as the cooling effect is optimised at higher outdoor temperatures.

To prove its effectiveness in a real-world application, the company has launched a ‘Made Cooler by Hyundai’ campaign.

In this campaign, the company applied the film to 70 customer vehicles in Lahore, Pakistan, where daily summer temperatures can reach 50 °C and more.

Hyundai Motor selected Lahore to introduce its transparent film, as the city prohibits tinted window film for security reasons.

The campaign aims to show that Hyundai’s nano cooling film effectively controls the vehicle’s interior temperature, thereby improving driving comfort and reducing energy consumption caused by use of air conditioning.

In a previous study comparing the interior temperature of vehicles during daylight hours in the summer, it was found that the nano cooling film reduced the temperature near the driver’s head by up to 10.98 °C compared with conventional tint film, and up to 12.33 °C compared with the same vehicle without window tinting.

Hyundai says its nano cooling film surpasses conventional tint films in its ability to block heat, while maintaining high transparency and unobstructed vision.

“Unlike dark tint shades that can negatively impact night-time visibility and release absorbed heat into the vehicle, the nano cooling film effectively blocks external heat energy and emits internal radiant heat to the outside.

“This is achieved through a unique composition of three layers that selectively block or emit specific wavelengths of solar heat.”

The film’s outer layer radiates heat at mid-infrared wavelengths from the interior of the vehicle to the exterior, while the inner two layers reflect incoming heat at near-infrared wavelengths, reducing the total amount of heat that reaches the inside of the vehicle.

Hyundai says the nano cooling film can be applied in tandem with conventional tint films in countries where car tints are less regulated.

“If regular tint films are added on the back side of the nano cooling film, the overall heat reflection and radiation are enhanced, resulting in greater cooling effects.”

Hyundai Motor first revealed the new film at a Nano Tech Day event in July last year, where it exhibited innovations in material technology.

At that event, the company announced its plan to further develop advanced material technologies.