how will graphene change the auto industry?

How Will Graphene Change the Auto Industry?

In this article, you will learn:



  • Why graphene may be the automotive industry’s next miracle material

  • Some of the ways graphene will improve tomorrow’s vehicles

  • How Turtle Wax has pioneered a graphene coating for cars

Until now, the manufacturing world has only begun to scratch the surface in its use of a carbon form called graphene, but, in the coming decades, this miracle material will improve our lives in untold ways and help us address some of our most pressing challenges.

All the way down to the atomic level, graphene has a number of performance benefits that will make it a prized material for more advanced manufacturing. It is the smallest, strongest substance known to man. It’s 200 times stronger than steel, yet it’s incredibly light. And, even at just one atom thick, graphene’s thermal and electrical conductivity are astounding.

As we rely more and more on electricity for power, graphene will revolutionize how the world operates. Automakers, for example, will use graphene to build lighter electric cars and trucks with stronger body panels and more efficient electrical systems. That would lead to safer, more efficient driving. And that will lead to fewer traffic deaths and reduced carbon emissions.

And those are only some of the benefits for the automotive industry alone. Graphene will be everywhere, in products all around us. Like we said, itty bitty graphene is going to be huge.

Graphene, from bumper to bumper

When you stop to think about how much electricity today’s cars use, you really can appreciate how far the automotive industry has come. With all the sensors, lighting, safety devices, cameras, navigation systems, emission controls, touchscreen displays and more, our cars have evolved into rolling, high voltage supercomputers. And that’s just for starters. As we move toward a world in which everyone has an electric vehicle, you can start to appreciate just how much electricity will be required for billions of drivers to operate their cars.

Now, imagine the impact graphene will have when it can improve electrical conductivity not by 10% or 20% but by up to 70%! We’ll likely see graphene in all the wiring and silicon chips throughout your car. The days of plain, old copper wiring are numbered.

Graphene’s conductivity advantages aren’t limited to electricity. It’s also an incredible thermal conductor. All the mechanical parts on and in your car that get hot could benefit from a graphene coating to help dissipate heat. Your radiator, for instance, could operate at cooler temperatures, which would theoretically help your engine last longer and run more efficiently.

And what if your car’s paint surface could be coated with a material that helped it shed some heat under the hot, summer sun? What if your steering wheel weren’t blazing hot? Wouldn’t that be something?

These impacts are just the electrical and thermal applications. Because graphene is so light and strong, automakers will almost certainly integrate it in the body panels of their cars. Theoretically, it could even be used to innovate stiffer wheels for a stronger power transfer to the road, plastics for more durable wear and tires for longer-lasting performance. And here, at Turtle Wax, we can definitely imagine a whole new generation of clear coats that sparkle and shine with unprecedented durability and greater scratch-resistance.

Innovative car care with graphene today

Because the Turtle Wax R&D labs have been a driving force in the exploration of graphene, we have a head start in our knowledge of the material and the development of graphene car care products.In fact, we’ve mastered the manufacturing techniques necessary for this nano-material, to the point where we’re using pure graphene in our products. Other car waxes incorporate graphene oxide, which can interfere with the deep, rich paint color you’re trying to show off.

We launched our easy to apply Hybrid Solutions Pro line, so you could take advantage of this miracle material now. Our Hybrid Solutions Pro Graphene Flex Wax and Hybrid Solutions Pro to the Max Wax combine pure graphene atoms with a ceramic coating and synthetic polymers to help your car look amazing today and to keep it looking that way with months and months of hydrophobic properties. And how could we leave out this revolutionary material when we developed a wax to celebrate our 75 years of car care innovations? Our 75th Birthday Ceramic + Graphene Paste Wax blends 10 different waxes, silicon dioxide and graphene for shine, protection and durability that’s out of this world!

hybrid solutions pro to the max wax

The future is bright…and tiny

As always, the Turtle Wax R&D labs work to stay on the forefront of car care technology, and these graphene-infused waxes are just one more example of that commitment. As this tiny, carbon-based material known as graphene becomes more prevalent in all forms of manufacturing, we’ll likely experience an incredible wave of improvements, not just in the products we use, but also in their impact on the world around us.

Big news is coming our way, and it’s all thanks to something tiny.

hybrid solutions pro flex wax

WANT MORE TURTLE WAX?

Subscribe for your newsletter and the rewards will be in your inbox before you even get there

Latest

News, events and insights from Turtle Wax® worldwide

Offers

Exclusive offers and discounts on Turtle Wax® products

Rewards

Regular treats and surprises for all subscribers

Thanks! You should receive a confirmation email shortly.