If you have already owned a black car and was completely shocked about the temperature inside, after it was in the sun for a while, you probably asked yourself whether the color of the vehicle plays a role.
+ Video: Motor of a Hyundai Tucson “explodes” suddenly – owner receives an invoice for $ 20,000
Is it true that black cars get hot faster than other colors? The answer is: yes. If you park a white and a black car for the same time in the sun, you will find that the inside of the white car remains significantly cooler than that of the black.
This interesting phenomenon was in one Study from 2011 investigated by researchers from the Department of Environmental Engineering Technologies of the Berkeley Lab was carried out. They found that bright vehicle colors reflect almost 60 % of the sunlight while dark colors absorb most of the part.
For the test, the researchers put two Honda Civics – a silver and a black – on a hot day in Sacramento, California (USA), in the sun. After an hour, the inside of the black car was 5 to 6 degrees Celsius warmer than that of the silver.
In addition to the higher heat in the interior, the researchers also found that bright paints improve the efficiency of the vehicle, since less air conditioning is needed to keep a pleasant temperature. This increases fuel efficiency by about 2 % and reduces CO₂ emissions by almost 2 %.
But why is that? One reason is that black surfaces absorb more sunlight and convert it into heat, which makes the interior feel hotter.
In addition, black cars release heat more efficiently than lighter vehicles, which means that the heat absorbed is more likely to be released to the environment instead of being reflected.
Even if other factors such as the position of the sun or the materials used in vehicle construction also play a role, dark colors generally absorb more warmth than bright colors.
Photo: Pexels. This content was created with the help of AI and checked by the editorial team.
