Choosing Paint Color Based on Heat and Metallic Flake

[UhOh]

Hi all:

I have a question. I'm choosing between Forest Green and Midnight Black, and I was wondering if anyone had any actual data about the difference either paint choice will have on how hot the cabin gets in the sun. I know in general that white is cooler than black, but my significant other wants Green or Black, so those are the options. I understand cabin heat has a lot to do with flake as well -- so I'm also interested if anyone knows whether Forest Green or Mountain Black has more flake.

Thanks!

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[tgo10000]

Forest green has more flake, I have forest green and have been side by side with midnight I’m not sure how much it correlates with cabin heat though maybe go with FE or OC if you’re concerned with cabin heat but honestly I just pre cool consistently

 

[krockett]

Tinting your windows with film that blocks UV/IR will do far more than any impact from paint color.

 

[Madsen203]

White and silver have an appreciable difference. Any other color unlikely to make as tremendous impact. Window tint, as mentioned, has a huge impact at assisting to maintain cooler cabin temps. Lighter interior choice will also be of benefit.

 

[UhOh]

Thanks - this is all really helpful. Will definitely get ceramic on the windows. We did that with our previous (black) car and it made a huge difference.

Even if the cabin stays cool from the coating, I wonder if the battery will take a significant hit from a darker color leading to more body heat and needing more energy to cool. Someone must have taken an IR gun to the body of each of the Rivian colors at a service center to see how big these differences are. I can't watch another YouTube review, but that seems like the kind of thing a YouTuber would have done by now

 

[SurfnBike]

I've been wondering the same thing about paint and the cabin and battery.

I plan on tinting my front windshield because on new vehicles with really slanted windshields like our Model Y the windshield is so large it lets in a ton of sunlight.

 

[quartz]

Get clear ceramic tint everywhere (including full windshield and roof). If you want, you can do 50% on the front sides to match the rear. I would stay away from MB interior unless you're good with installing multiple sun reflectors and/or consistently pre-conditioning on hot days.

 

[UhOh]

Yes -- clear ceramic on the windshield made a huge difference for us on our previous car.

I'd still really like to know what the actual temperature difference is between two different colors sitting in the sun. Can someone with an IR gun and access to two Rivian's do this? At the next Rivian meetup, or at the next service center visit? I'm traveling at the moment otherwise I'd do it myself

 

[iansriv]

This is interesting. Never considered this. I would think the difference is negligible. Also, we need to consider the variables such as location.

 

[brancky3]

Hi all:

I have a question. I'm choosing between Forest Green and Midnight Black, and I was wondering if anyone had any actual data about the difference either paint choice will have on how hot the cabin gets in the sun. I know in general that white is cooler than black, but my significant other wants Green or Black, so those are the options. I understand cabin heat has a lot to do with flake as well -- so I'm also interested if anyone knows whether Forest Green or Mountain Black has more flake.

Thanks!

Just curious, why does the cabin temperature matter to you? Given that you can ‘remote start’ and even turn on cooled seats, it won’t make a bit of difference IMO

 

[emoore]

You would have to measure the IR emissivity and solar absorbtivity to know for sure but dark green vs black probably won’t be a huge difference. maybe a slightly higher absorbtivity for black. The reason white makes a different is the solar absobtivity is much lower than black so less heat absorbed.

I think tinting windows will make a much bigger difference.

 

[UhOh]

Just curious, why does the cabin temperature matter to you? Given that you can ‘remote start’ and even turn on cooled seats, it won’t make a bit of difference IMO

It is a question of how much time and energy it will take to cool down to a comfortable temperature. Even though the car is electric, the energy is not free If color makes a big impact on how much energy I'd be using to condition the car/cabin, I'd like to know. (I park every day in an uncovered lot in the desert, where the temps can reach 115F in the summer, so the stakes are particularly high for me.)

 

[UhOh]

You would have to measure the IR emissivity and solar absorbtivity to know for sure but dark green vs black probably won’t be a huge difference. maybe a slightly higher absorbtivity for black. The reason white makes a different is the solar absobtivity is much lower than black so less heat absorbed.

I think tinting windows will make a much bigger difference.

Makes sense. I realize now that I have two related questions: (1) how much will color affect cabin temperature, and (2) how much will it affect chassis heat and the battery? If the car has to work to keep the battery cool on super hot days, I suspect it matters how hot the chassis gets. But I do not know!

 

[electruck]

Personally, I would not concern myself with paint color over temperature concerns - cabin or battery. Paint color will have far, far less influence on cabin temps than window treatments so just plan on having a good ceramic film installed. As for the battery, ambient temps are the real enemy there as that impacts the efficiency of heat transfer to/from the pack which is of much bigger concern than any heat being transferred from the cabin to the battery. Don't overthink things, just pick the color you like (that decision alone can be hard enough).

 

[mkg3]

It is a question of how much time and energy it will take to cool down to a comfortable temperature. ...

Dark color exterior results in higher interior temperature than a lighter color exterior. The interior color has nearly no affect, except what is exposed to incoming light.

https://www.usedvwaudi.com/blog/2019/01/07/are-black-cars-really-hotter-than-white-cars

"The black car's cabin measured a scorching 130 degrees Fahrenheit, while the white car's interior registered only 113 degrees.

They also decided to try answering a different question: Which one cools down faster once the air conditioning is cranked? Once again, they broke out the thermometer and discovered that the interior of the white car cooled to 84 degrees after 10 minutes, while the black car was still at 91 degrees."

and from Consumer Reports
https://www.consumerreports.org/car...-interiors-get-hotter-in-the-sun-a6491490288/

"Consumer Reports’ test engineers took two cars, one with a light colored exterior and light colored interior, and the other with a dark exterior and dark interior, and parked them both outside,” says Mike Monticello, CR’s road-test manager. “The temperature initially inside both cars was 78° F. Within an hour, they were both over 100° F. The darker car did get a little bit hotter, but only by a few degrees. "

Finally, when the exterior is hotter (dark color vehicle vs light color), heat transfers to cooler objects (radiation, conduction and convection). Interior is definitely cooler than exterior, even though its well above 100 deg F, the hotter exterior will transfer more heat into the interior.




These examples are for black vs white. Another colors will be in between the two. Personally, I do not like dark color vehicle for this exact reason (plus have to wash it more as dirt shows easier). My R1S order is for GW+OC.

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