United States. Barry Snyder, Axalta's senior vice president and chief technology officer, addressed more than 300 autonomous vehicle professionals at the recent Autonomous Car Detroit conference. The conference was designed to facilitate the exchange of ideas and discussion on the technologies and trends that are shaping the evolution of the autonomous car.
Snyder's discussion focused on how coatings are a vital factor for the future of autonomous vehicles and how Axalta is working on innovative solutions that will meet autonomous vehicle requirements. "Reflectivity and transmissivity are key pieces to the puzzle we need to solve, and we have technology available to address some of these issues," he said during the exclusive presentation.
Snyder explained that in order for vehicles to "be seen" on the road safely, the car's paint must be thoughtful. Currently, autonomous vehicle mapping systems called LiDAR systems can more easily detect light-colored vehicles due to their reflectivity. Axalta's 2018 Automotive Color of the Year: StarLite is a perfect example of a light-colored coating and even contains pearlescent flakes that contribute to its reflectivity.
Although 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 the paint without interference. The sensors will be covered in coatings, so the paint formulation will allow signals to pass through the coating. If this can be achieved, automakers will have more flexibility in terms of sensor placement and will have fewer limitations on the design of future vehicles.
Ultimately, vehicle design remains an important factor in car buyers' decisions, so coatings must be formulated to achieve the reflectivity and transmissivity required by autonomous vehicles, while also being attractive and durable. In addition, solutions should allow for variety of colors as consumers look for unique and bright colors to match their preferences.
"As a coatings player, Axalta is fully invested in solving these problems. We are already anticipating where these issues are and working on them," Snyder added.
