Driverless cars probably light-coloured initially

Black may be difficult to get in driverless car colour choices, especially in the technology’s early days.

Autonomous cars are safer and more efficient when they’re light-coloured, industry suppliers say.

One of their key sensors, the Lidar laser light-mapping systems, can more easily detect light-coloured vehicles, USA Today reports.

A self-driving car needs to “see” other cars to avoid them.

“When we test colours … we know that highly reflective colours are more easily detectable by Lidar systems,” automotive paint supplier Axalta Coating Systems global colour marketing manager Nancy Lockhart says.

Dark-colours for vehicles won’t necessarily vanish as some systems can detect them, but more sensors are needed to do so.

Automakers may favour light colours, such as white and silver, to make vehicles safer and more affordable initially.

Paint companies also have to adapt their products to help vehicles avoid dirt build-up, which can clutter sensors and give false signals.

The issue involving something as simple as choice of paint colour underscores the sweeping effects of self-driving cars for automotive engineering, automotive consulting and engineering firm P3 North America chief executive officer and president Dr Samit Ghosh says.

“The whole design of the vehicle needs to be fundamentally different.”

Paint companies are moving to adapt.

Axalta is experimenting with the insertion of flakes into dark-coloured paints to make them more reflective.

“Colour sells,” Lockhart says.

PPG Industries engineers are applying experience gleaned from the development of aircraft fuselages’ high-tech coatings to the new paint technologies.

Developing technology can make black 20% to 30% more reflective by going beyond the visible colour spectrum, PPG chief technology officer David Bem says.

Since “people buy cars based on how they look”, it’s critical to preserve dark-coloured vehicles, he says.

Autonomous vehicles will probably be light-coloured initially for better detection by other driverless vehicles.