California will have the coolest cars

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California cars may soon become the coolest in the country.

On Thursday, the Air Resources Board mandated that new cars sold starting in 2012 must feature windows that reflect or absorb the sun’s heat. The board estimates the measure will prevent 700,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere in the year 2020 by reducing the need for air conditioning. Such a reduction would be ‘roughly the equivalent of taking 140,000 cars off the road for a year,’ said a statement released by the ARB.

Despite groans from the industry, the board passed the measure at Thursday’s meeting. The technology used to produce the new sun-deflecting glass will include applying a glass coating with tiny reflective bits of metal to car windows and windshields. The new windows will cost an estimated $70 on average for each car for the 2012 standard, and they will save the driver about $16 a year on gas.

Though the 2012 standard requires that windows block 45% of the sun’s heat, a more stringent standard for 2016 will require that windows block 60%. The 2016 windows would cost $250 but would save the driver about $20 a year on gas.

This measure is one of many pieces of ‘low-hanging fruit’ that the board will take care of before it digs into the next phase of its comprehensive climate plan, according to ARB spokesman Stanley Young. The board has focused on the transportation sector because vehicles produce the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in California. The state has already adopted groundbreaking measures to require tire checks from engine maintenance facilities and to implement technology that reduces the amount of refrigerant that escapes from ‘do-it-yourself’ air-conditioners.

The Air Resources Board made headlines months ago amid rumors that it was considering banning heat-absorbing black cars. The board confirmed in March that is was not going to ban the popular car color.

--Amy Littlefield