(June 23, 2011) DEARBORN, Mich., (PRNewswire) — The EPGAA, a glass industry association, says that Advanced Solar Control Glass can significantly reduce the need for air conditioning, extending EV range.

The announcement was made in response to a prevalent theme heard while attending the Automotive News Green Car Conference held in Detroit on June 13 and 14.

The glass industry association says that Advanced Solar Control glass is designed to reduce the solar heat load in the vehicle so that the workload of the air conditioning system is also reduced.  It works by reducing the amount of solar energy that enters a vehicle.

Consider that approximately 50 percent of all U.S. drive segments occur between noon and 5 p.m. — typically the hottest time of the day.  When equipped with Advanced Solar Control glazing, cabin temperatures at startup can be up to 20 degrees lower than vehicles without Advanced Solar Control glazing. This means climate control systems use less energy to make the vehicle comfortable. Even in motion, prevalent automatic climate control systems have been shown to draw less power to maintain the desired temperature set point, freeing more energy for vehicle range.

As a barrier to EV proliferation beyond early adopter purchases, "range anxiety" can be alleviated somewhat through the use of advanced technologies such as solar control glazing. Electric vehicles fitted with solar control glazing could achieve as much as a 30 percent improvement in range during high air conditioning usage seasons.

Additional benefits derived from the use of Advanced Solar Control glass in internal combustion powered vehicles include reduced green house gas emissions by increasing fuel efficiency as much as 5 percent during prime AC season.  Additionally laminated glass, used in conjunction with advanced solar control technologies, is inherently lighter than standard tempered glass, thus reducing the overall weight of the vehicle and further increasing vehicle efficiency.

Finally, laminated glass, including laminated glass with Advanced Solar Control, provides ancillary benefits to consumers. Laminated glass, due to its tough plastic interlayer, does not shatter like tempered glass when impacted, offering occupant ejection protection in the event of a crash.

In a rollover situation, passengers are less likely to be fully or partly ejected if protected by a combination of side air bags and laminated glass, according to NHTSA.