Nissan develops self-cleaning vehicle

Sunday mornings could change forever as the world’s first self-cleaning car has been revealed by Nissan. The Japanese carmaker is testing a self-cleaning nanotech paint that repels dirt. This specially engineered paint has been applied to Nissan Note prototype.

The custom paint dubbed Ultra-Ever Dry basically creates a non-stick surface where mud, rain, dirt and oil are repelled. It’s an industrial coating that isn’t sold to consumers, with its superhydrophobic and oleophobic properties effectively keeping out most water-based and some oil-based liquids.

To assess the real-world effectiveness of the nanotech paint, engineers at Nissan Technical Centre Europe, will be testing the self-cleaning Note over the coming months in a variety of conditions. Nissan is the first carmaker to apply this technology on automotive bodywork.

Geraldine Ingham, Chief Marketing Manager, Nissan Note, says, “The Nissan Note has been carefully engineered to take the stress out of customer driving, and Nissan's engineers are constantly thinking of new ways to make families' lives easier.”

Nissan states that it has no current plans to offer the paint as a standard feature, but that it is considering eventually offering it as an aftermarket product.