Technology:
Nippon Sheet Glass developed the world’s thinnest and lightest car windshield. The new windshield
is 3.75 kg, 1 kg lighter than the existing car windshield of the same size. It
has been adopted by Toyota’s three-wheel two-seater electric vehicle “i-ROAD” that
has a 90 cm high and 50 cm wide windshield.
The
company reviewed the heating process of glass production, and developed 1 mm
thick glass and glued it with another 2 mm thick glass to build a 3.75 mm thick
windshield. Traditionally, two 2 mm thick glass sheets are glued together to
build a windshield. If the new windshield glass is adopted by a four-wheel
vehicle, the size of the windshield will be doubled. However, a vehicle that
adopts the new windshield will be several kilograms lighter than the vehicle equipped
with existing windshield of the same size. Nippon Sheet Glass plans to market
the new windshield as a product that helps reduce fuel consumption. Nippon
Steel Glass has about 25% share in the world’s car windshield market.
Toyota's i-ROAD travels in Europe
Toyota's i-ROAD in the Tokyo Motor Show
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