Reflective window film to reduce summer heat

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JejuSoul

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Joined
Jul 8, 2015
Messages
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Location
Jeju
I added Llumar reflective window film to all the windows last week. It works well in reducing heat on a sunny day.
I haven't noticed any side effects. (nighttime glare, reduced vision, lower quality phone signal)
There is an interactive viewer here so you can test out how the car will look. http://www.llumar.com/choose-a-product/llumars-interactive-tools/automotive-film-viewer
I got the medium tint. Picture below is with dark.

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JejuSoul, did you do a before/after comparison?
my SoulEV comes with solar glass and it is noticeably less hot than my previous car when parked under sun, wonder if this film is necessary.
 
mysoulev said:
JejuSoul, did you do a before/after comparison?
my SoulEV comes with s olar glass and it is noticeably less hot than my previous car when parked under sun, wonder if this film is necessary.
Thanks for the question. Makes me realise I should have been clearer in the original post.
I do not think reflective film is necessary or even useful unless you live in a place that is really hot and sunny. Or you are driving to such a place for vacation. In Vancouver BC - no don't bother. If you are driving to Las Vegas in August then yes.
Where I live is hot and sunny, same latitude as San Diego. The reflective film does work better in keeping the interior cool than without it. But I still make an effort to park the car in the shade during the day because that is a much more effective way of keeping the car cool. The main point of this for me is not that it is more comfortable to get into a cool car but I am worried about the EV battery getting too hot if left in the sun all day.
 
I just drove for a week in an I oniq EV that did not have reflective tint on the windows.
I was surprised. There is a really big difference in comfort level for the driver on very hot sunny days.
I no longer think this has much effect at all on keeping the battery cool.
The tint keeps the driver cool on long journeys in hot sunshine. Am glad I got this done on my Soul EV.
 
JejuSoul said:
I just drove for a week in an Ioniq EV that did not have reflective tint on the windows.
I was surprised. There is a really big difference in comfort level for the driver on very hot sunny days.
I no longer think this has much effect at all on keeping the battery cool.
The tint keeps the driver cool on long journeys in hot sunshine. Am glad I got this done on my Soul EV.

I would really appreciate your experiences and thoughts on the Ionic EV after driving one for 1 week, especially compared to the Soul EV. Maybe in a new thread?

The electric car sale in Norway has dropped recently, maybe in anticipation of new models with longer range coming up. I am afraid the Hyundai Ionic EV is a little to late to the party because of the low battery capacity.
 
Now the summer is over it is a good time to post about the negative effects of reflective window film.

At night it increases 'glare' on the window. When I'm stopped at a junction, I sometimes have to open the side window to get a proper view of the oncoming traffic.

If I'm parked and there is another car with reflective window film to my side and slightly behind then it is hard to see through the other car to see if there is any traffic on the road I am backing into.

I often think most people 'darken' their windows mostly for vanity reasons. Very few seem to discuss the practical negative consequences of doing so.

Given these negatives I would not recommend reflective window film to the majority of drivers on this forum because you do not live in a climate where the benefits are greater than the negatives. San Diego and Las Vegas YES, everywhere else NO.
 
Here is a photo of a black I oniq EV without window tint.



I recently saw a black I oniq EV with dark tint on all windows. It does look very cool completely black. That's the positive part. I was driving so couldn't get a picture. If I see it parked I'll be sure to grab the camera.

I was driving uphill at night in the rain. The black car was crossing the road at a junction in front of me. The combination of my windows being tinted, his car being totally black, and the glare from the wet road made his car really difficult to see until I get close. I was driving slowly so a crash was unlikely. But I do think this is another negative about tinting.

Here is a photo of the black I oniq EV with the window tint.

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If I had purchased my Soul rather than leased it, I would definitely apply a UV-blocking film to the front side windows. Non-laminated auto glass lets skin cancer/skin aging UV right through. I guess it is less of a problem in an EV than an ICE car, because we can't drive for very long without stopping anyway ;) .
 
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Summer is back. My Soul EV has tinted windows - the SM3 does not. Both parked outside.

Cabin Temps Soul EV = 26C; SM3 = 36C. Big difference in comfort when you get into the car.
The battery temps are 19C



 
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