Nissan develops organic glow-in-the-dark car paint

Nissan has become the first manufacturer to use glow-in-the-dark car paint. The Japanese carmaker has worked with Hamish Scott to create Starpath, which is a spray-applied coating that absorbs UV energy during the day and glows for 8-10 hours when the sun goes down. The idea is being used to showcase how the electric Nissan Leaf is helping more and more people convert to solar energy at home.

According to Nissan Motor GB EV manager, Paul O’Neill, “The Nissan Leaf is a shining beacon of sustainability and the future of motoring. Not only is it saving our customers money in running costs but we are now seeing how it is helping people become more environmentally sensitive by reducing their carbon footprint.”

While glowing car paint is already available, as are glow-in-the-dark car wraps, the ultraviolet-energised paint created especially for Nissan is unique thanks to its formula made up of entirely organic materials. It contains a rare natural earth product called Strontium Aluminate, which is solid, odourless and chemically and biologically inert. Various third-party companies have applied non-organic glow-in-the-dark paint to vehicles before but Nissan is the first carmaker to directly apply such technology. Nissan’s unique paint, if made commercially available, would last for 25 years.