Light-Sensing Smart Sky Film: The Perfect Companion for Panoramic Sunroofs in New Energy Vehicles

In the earliest days, when cars evolved into four-wheeled vehicles, they were basically equipped with windshields, doors, roofs, headlights and other components. After a series of safety issues were resolved, new demands emerged. Car manufacturers had a bright idea—cutting a hole in the roof, and thus the earliest sunroofs came into being.

This development has continued into recent years with panoramic sunroofs. Along with the general trend of automotive intelligence, glass has become the core visual output carrier for data streams in smart vehicles. The panoramic sky roof, evolved from panoramic sunroofs, is deeply favored by automakers for enhancing the vehicle’s overall appearance, interior space and user experience. In an era focused on differentiated selling points, it has been adopted by mainstream new forces and independent brands such as Tesla Model 3/Y/S, XPeng P7, NIO EC6/ET7, Changan UNIT, and Geely Xingrui.

Of course, troubles followed, especially in high temperatures. To address the pain points of panoramic sky roofs, car owners usually use sunroof ice armor or sunshades, or turn on the air conditioner remotely in advance—but these are still “temporary solutions, not root causes.” According to current automotive market and institutional research, there seems to be a “perfect” solution that retains the transparency of sunroofs while providing sun protection and heat insulation.

This is the sunshade black technology we are talking about today—Light-Sensing Smart Sky Film.

Mainstream materials for Light-Seneing Smart Sky Film

As cars evolve from transportation tools to a “third living space,” consumers’ demands for in-car light, temperature and privacy are rapidly increasing. Automotive glass continues to upgrade around “light” and “electricity,” bringing smart dimming glass from high-end configurations to a popularization cycle. In addition, automotive glass is also evolving into an “intelligent interactive entrance,” becoming part of the smart cockpit.

As panoramic sunroofs gradually become a “standard feature” in the passenger car market, a more advanced sunroof technology—Light-Sensing Smart Sky Film—is also “taking its first steps” in the market. With dimming technology, Light-Sensing Smart Sky Film offers composite advantages such as adjustable light transmittance, intelligent color changing, sun protection and heat insulation, perfectly fitting the development direction of high integration and lightweight in new energy vehicles.

Many industry chain experts believe that the significant growth potential of Light-Sensing Smart Sky Film mainly stems from the following reasons:First, in the overall structure of new energy vehicles, battery packs occupy interior space. To maintain a streamlined exterior and avoid a cramped view, automakers have adopted panoramic sunroofs. However, the popularity of large-area glass has created rigid demand for sun protection and heat insulation. Second, the unprecedented changes in the automotive industry are accompanied by a shift in consumer groups. Currently, young people aged 25–35 are the main consumers of new energy vehicles, who pursue high-tech intelligence in cars.

Therefore, to increase in-car lighting and improve the driving experience, Light-Sensing Smart Sky Film has quickly stepped onto the industry stage driven by rigid demand. Chen Yunyun, Deputy Director of the Market and Solutions Department at Fuyao Group’s Product Center, even believes that “In the era of new energy vehicles, smart glass embraces new opportunities—this is inevitable amid chance.”

“The basic functions of glass include lighting and enclosure, while also playing roles in noise reduction and heat insulation,” said Zhao Tianliang, Chief Glass Expert for ZEEKR’s C-line R&D. Sky roof glass not only needs to create a transparent space and broad view, but also achieve high visible light transmittance and excellent sun protection performance, ensuring low transmittance of ultraviolet and infrared rays, while taking safety into account.

Currently, two technical schools of color-changing technology dominate the dimming sky roof market: electrochromic (EC), which follows the chemical color-changing route, and polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC), which follows the physical color-changing route.

EC dimming achieves glass color change and dimming through redox reactions, with tungsten trioxide as the commonly used electrochromic material. The glass is transparent in normal state, and gradually turns to a non-transparent state under voltage drive. Currently, models supporting EC dimming only offer it as an optional feature, meaning it cannot be retrofitted, and the purchase price is not cheap.

The transparency and atomization of PDLC dimming are determined by internal liquid crystal molecules. When powered on, liquid crystal molecules align orderly, allowing incident light to pass through directly, and the glass appears transparent. When powered off, liquid crystal molecules are disordered, incident light passes through in a scattered manner, and the glass appears atomized and opaque.

SHADOW – Your Trusted Expert in Light-Sensing Smart Sky Film