California ‘Cool Cars’ Proposal Aims at Hot Interiors, Could Block GPS Signals

For every push, a shove. California wants to cut down on use of auto air conditioning as part of its greenhouse gas management plant, so the California Air Resources Board has drafted the “cool cars” law that would require a special reflective window coating to keep car interiors cooler by reducing the amount of solar energy – heat – entering through the glass. The proposed rule would mandate a 45 percent reduction by 2014 and a 60 percent cut by 2016. The idea is that by reducing solar energy entering though the windows, cars' interiors – especially when parked in the sun – would stay cooler, reducing the demand for automotive air conditioner use which, in turn, would improve vehicle fuel economy with a corresponding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. That's the push or, in physics, an action that by its very existence requires an opposite and equal reaction – the shove. The shove is coming from automakers and the electronics industry.

Tagged as: California Cool Cars Law, Emissions