Munich, Germany-based automotive parts company Webasto AG has supplied the world's largest injection-molded, transparently coated car roof with an infrared absorber states Bayer MaterialScience (BMS).
The roof has been made for the third generation of the Smart Fortwo car from BMS's Makrolon polycarbonate.
The roof system is able to absorb solar energy, which helps to the inside of the car from overheating on sunny days. The infrared absorbers are within the pellets produced for the PC, and enable this process. BMS states that if they vehicle does not heat up as much, there is not as much need for air conditioning which in turn reduces fuel consumption.
The company highlights how fuel consumption for a small city car is cut even further by the light weight of the material, with a roof made of PC being up to 50 percent lighter than a glass equivalent.
Webasto manufactures the polycarbonate roofs in its own lightweight competence center in Schierling near Regensburg, Germany. The roof is produced through a two-component injection compression molding, which integrates a black PC/ABS frame.