MUNICH — Buyers of Renault’s new Scenic E-Tech electrical SUV gained’t have the ability to order a sliding sunroof. But they’ll get what Renault says is a greater possibility: The Solarbay sunroof, which robotically dims totally different segments utilizing electrical impulses to excite particles embedded within the glass.
The expertise is obtainable on the Scenic E-Tech, which had its public debut on the IAA Mobility auto present right here. It can be an possibility on the just-launched Renault Rafale midsize SUV.
It is ideally suited to EVs, stated Brigitte Savariault, a Renault engineer who labored on the Solarbay roof.
Benefits for electrical automobiles over a sliding roof embrace lighter weight as a result of there aren’t any motors or steel rails, Savariault stated at demonstration of the expertise on the present.
There can be a achieve of 30 mm of headroom in contrast with a traditional sunroof, Renault says, and the dimming function helps preserve the cabin cool or heat, relying on the skin temperature. Wind noise, which is extra noticeable in EVs as a result of they’ve fewer shifting mechanical elements, can be decreased.
Renault labored with Saint-Gobain Sekurit on the Solarbay roof, Savariault stated. The provider calls the expertise AmpliSky, which it launched (and trademarked) in 2019.
On the Scenic E-Tech, the roof’s opacity might be managed by a button or by utilizing Google Voice assistant in Renault’s OpenR Link infotainment system. When the automotive is shut off, the roof robotically darkens; when it’s began once more, the roof returns to the earlier setting.
The expertise, known as polymer-dispersed liquid crystal or opacifying glass, works by utilizing electrical impulses to align tiny particles in a skinny movie throughout the glass roof.
Source: europe.autonews.com