Woodbury, New York., June 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — It’s cool, literally, and coming soon. Yesterday General Motors announced that it will invest more than $81 million into the company’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, to prepare the campus to build the Cadillac CELESTIQ. Deliveries of Cadillac’s all-electric luxury flagship are expected in 2023, with the car officially debuting next month.
“As Cadillac’s future flagship sedan, CELESTIQ signifies a new, resurgent era for the brand,” said Mark Reuss, president, General Motors. “Each one will be hand-built by an amazing team of craftspeople on our historic Technical Center campus, and today’s investment announcement emphasizes our commitment to delivering a world-class Cadillac with nothing but the best in craftsmanship, design, engineering and technology.”
CELESTIQ’s full-glass roof is expected to be one of the first to feature a four-quadrant, suspended-particle-device (SPD) smart glass. With this smart glass, using Research Frontiers’ patented SPD-Smart light-control technology, each occupant of the vehicle can set their own level of roof transparency. The driver and front-seat passenger will enjoy a pillar-to-pillar freeform display with active privacy to help mitigate driver distraction, while rear-seat passengers have personalized entertainment screens. Console screens between seats in the front and back will separate individualized comfort settings from entertainment displays to minimize distractions.
SPD-Smart light-control film, invented and patented by Research Frontiers (Nasdaq: REFR), is a key component in SPD-SmartGlass products. This film allows users to instantly, precisely and uniformly control the shading of glass or plastic products, either manually at the touch of a button, or automatically. Products using Research Frontiers’ smart glass technology are being used in tens of thousands of cars, aircraft, yachts, trains, homes, offices, museums and other buildings.
Joseph M. Harary, President and CEO of Research Frontiers, noted: “SPD-SmartGlass will give each occupant of the CELESTIQ the ability to control the heat, light and glare coming into the vehicle, enhancing comfort, security and privacy, while also allowing them to better see information on their entertainment systems and devices. SPD-SmartGlass also can increase the driving range of electric vehicles.”
SPD-SmartGlass light-control technology offers instant and uniform control of the tint of windows that permits occupants – automatically, or with the touch of a button, or using a smartphone, tablet, smart speaker, smart home systems, or other control devices – to change tint from dark (blocking over 99.5% of light and 95% of heat) to clear, or any level in between. This saves energy, creates privacy, and increases comfort and security.
The markets for SPD-Smart film are already well-established. Research Frontiers has licensed over 40 chemical, film, and glass companies which are selling products for the automotive, aircraft, marine, train, museum and consumer electronics industries.
Research Frontiers patented SPD-SmartGlass technology is the same best-selling smart window technology that can be found on various car models from Daimler, McLaren Automotive, and other auto makers. These cars use patented SPD-SmartGlass technology developed by Research Frontiers to turn the roof transparent by electrically aligning tiny particles in a thin film within the glass. With the touch of a button, drivers and passengers can instantly change the tint of their roof to help keep out harsh sunlight and heat, and create an open-air feeling even when the sunroof is closed. Glass or plastic using Research Frontiers’ patented SPD-SmartGlass technology effectively blocks UV and infrared rays in both clear and darkly tinted modes, helping keep the cabin cooler, and protecting passengers and interiors while also enhancing security inside the vehicle. These benefits become even more important when a car uses large surface areas of glass, especially in warm climates.
Some of the other benefits of SPD-SmartGlass include significant heat reduction inside the vehicle (by up to 18ºF/10ºC), UV protection, glare control, reduced noise and reduced fuel consumption. Independent calculations also show that use of SPD-SmartGlass can reduce CO2 emissions by four grams per kilometer, and increase the driving range of electric vehicles by approximately 5.5 percent.
Shortly after its introduction into serial production in the automotive industry, SPD-SmartGlass has become standard equipment on many different aircraft, and is also used in residential and commercial architectural applications, in trains, yachts and other marine vehicles, in display applications, and to protect light-sensitive artwork and documents in major museums around the world.
The Cadillac CELESTIQ will be built on GM’s Ultium Platform, the heart of the company’s EV strategy. The CELESTIQ will be the first production vehicle to be built at GM’s Global Technical Center.
About Research Frontiers Inc.
Research Frontiers (Nasdaq: REFR) is a publicly traded technology company and the developer of patented SPD-Smart light-control film technology which allows users to instantly, precisely and uniformly control the shading of glass or plastic products, either manually or automatically. Research Frontiers has licensed its smart glass technology to over 40 companies that include well known chemical, material science and glass companies. Products using Research Frontiers’ smart glass technology are being used in tens of thousands of cars, aircraft, yachts, trains, homes, offices, museums and other buildings. For more information, please visit our website at www.SmartGlass.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Note: From time to time Research Frontiers may issue forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. This press release contains forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ and are not guaranteed. Any forward-looking statements should be considered accordingly. “SPD-Smart” and “SPD-SmartGlass” are trademarks of Research Frontiers Inc. “Cadillac” and “Celestiq” are trademarks of General Motors. “MAGIC SKY CONTROL” and “Mercedes-Benz” are trademarks of Daimler AG.
For further information, please contact:
Joseph M. Harary
President and CEO
Research Frontiers Inc.
+1-516-364-1902
Info@SmartGlass.com
