High-tech wool keeps auto interior cool

Swiss automaker Rinspeed introduced the iChange, a vehicle that changes shape to adapt to the passenger load, in March 2009. The streamlined, lightweight, zero-emission iChange shifts to save energy, and its futuristic design includes high-tech wool for seat covers, door panels and roof liners that keep even dark-colored interiors comfortable.

The spun, dyed and finished wool from the Schoeller Spinning Group, Sevelen, Switzerland, was manufactured with coldblack®, a heat and UV-radiation-absorbing fabric finish developed by Schoeller in cooperation with Clariant International Ltd., Muttenz, Switzerland. Fabrics finished with coldblack remain colorfast and provide the equivalent of 30 spf UV protection. In November 2009, the Swiss Textiles and Zumsteg Foundation awarded Schoeller Technologies AG its “Textile Design Award 2009” for coldblack, which has many product applications.