Mercedes-Benz unveiled its Vision Iconic concept car at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the organic-inorganic hybrid nano-solar coating technology it carries has become the biggest highlight. This technology has achieved a dual breakthrough of "light transmittance plus power generation". While maintaining the high light transmittance of the car windows, it supplies power to the vehicle, providing a new path for energy supplement of new energy vehicles.

In terms of technology, the coating adopts a new type of silicon-free photovoltaic material (mainly composed of polythiophene derivatives), and forms a 100-nanometer-thick transparent film on the surfaces of car windows and the car body through the sol-gel method. It employs CdSe/ZnS quantum dot sensitization technology, which can efficiently absorb ultraviolet light and near-infrared light and convert them into electrical energy. Meanwhile, through the dispersion design of nanoparticles, the haze is controlled within 1%, and the light transmittance is maintained at 94%, thus solving the long-standing problem of poor light transmittance of traditional photovoltaic coatings.

Test data shows that the driving range of electric vehicles equipped with this coating can be increased by 18% under sunny conditions. When combined with the dedicated solar panels on the roof, the annual power generation can meet 15% of the vehicle's energy consumption needs. In addition, the coating also has ultraviolet protection and self-cleaning functions, which can reduce 80% of ultraviolet damage to the car body. A Mercedes-Benz public relations director stated that the technology has passed a 5,000-hour ultraviolet aging test (with a performance attenuation rate of less than 5%), and it is planned to be mass-produced in 2027 and first applied to the EQS series models.