Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Have you ever been cruising down the highway on a late-night drive and found yourself mesmerized by how the pavement lines seem to glow in the nighttime? Well, the same technology is headed for powder coatings, courtesy of PPG’s partnership with rideshare company Lyft.
PPG’s new powder coating, dubbed Envirocron LUM, is “the world’s first” commercial retroreflective powder coating, says PPG, and was designed for use on Lyft e-bikes in an effort to increase cyclist visibility.
The patent-pending technology is designed to reflect the maximum amount of light back to its source. While liquid-based retroreflective coatings are commonly used to increase the visibility of pavement markings and street signs, PPG says Envirocron LUM is the first-ever retroreflective powder coating.
“The genesis of PPG’s Envirocron LUM coatings technology is rooted in nature, inspired by the reflective properties of deer’s eyes,” explained PPG in its press release. “Using a formulation with embedded glass beads, the single-layer coating refracts light and retroreflects it directly back to a vehicle’s driver to enhance visibility.”
The coating delivers a non-solvent solution with high transfer efficiency, said the coatings company, adding that it also provides scratch and mar resistance for the e-bikes to withstand a high volume of riders.
“PPG has been at the forefront of retroreflective powder coating technology for several years as part of our commitment to innovation and sustainability,” said Paul Bradley, PPG technical manager, Industrial Coatings. “We are proud to partner with Lyft in its efforts to produce high-visibility e-bikes as part of our shared commitment to enhance on-road safety.”
Lyft’s fleet of e-bikes are coated with an Abel Gray finish–a tribute to the company’s late engineer Abel Lopez, who was struck and killed by a vehicle while riding his bicycle in Oct. 2020.
“Until his untimely passing, Abel was a valued member of the Lyft family and was very passionate about our efforts to implement retroreflective technology into our e-bikes,” said Edgar Japitana, Lyft senior group manager, Supplier Industrialization Engineering. “Improving cyclist safety is paramount, and we are so proud to memorialize Abel through our partnership with PPG and its Abel Gray coating named in his honour.”
