There’s a reason why every Chevrolet Bolt EV-based Cruise AV self-driving car is finished in bright white: the cars can “see” lighter colors much more easily via their Lidar systems.
The fact has presented new challenges to paint suppliers, USA Today reported on Monday. Companies such as PPG Industries and Axalta Coating Systems are now working to produce new shades of darker colors in order to preserve darker colors. And they’re doing so to ensure consumers won’t end up in a market where you can have any color you like, as long as it’s white… or silver.
“Color sells,” Nancy Lockhart, global color marketing manager for ‎Axalta Coating Systems, said. “I don’t think we’re going to come into this world blanketed by plain-Jane colors.”
It’s quite possible some of the earliest self-driving cars will feature lighter exterior hues, especially as automakers work with suppliers to arrive first to market with such revolutionary technology. Automakers could certainly adapt cars to “see” darker colors now, but the Lidar systems would require even more sensors.
In the future, however, companies like PPG are already working on ways to enhance even the most basic hues such as black. PPG reportedly has technology to make black colors 20- to 30-percent more reflective, which will help Lidar systems pick up on the color.
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