Mercedes-Benz gets tested with Kipp & Zonen's pyranometer
Published: Friday, November 5, 2010
The legendary Death Valley, on the border between California and Nevada, provides exceptional thermal conditions. The Mercedes-Benz test team considers this to be ideal for testing their new Magic Sky Control glass roof for the next generation SLK. To ensure that measurements are verifiable and reliable, the technicians use a Kipp & Zonen CMP 11 pyranometer as the centerpiece of their test equipment.
Next year Mercedes-Benz will introduce their new SLK. The next generation of the successful roadster is fitted with a glass roof called the Magic Sky Control. When open it creates an intense feeling of being in touch with nature and being transparent it still provides an open-air feeling even when closed in poorer weather. Yet it also features the ability to darken the glass to keep the driver comfortable when the weather gets really sunny.
The CMP pyranometer provides extremely accurate measurements of the energy generated by the sun light. Death Valley, where the temperature can reach up to 50 ºC, is the ultimate location for these tests. Many car manufacturers put their engine cooling and climate control systems to the test here. So does Mercedes, because the Magic Sky Control is a way of cooling too. The measurements of the CMP 11 pyranometer indicate that the darkened roof reduces the temperature around the head and shoulders of the driver significantly.
The unique Magic Sky Control glass roof will have its world première in 2011.
Sources:
www.emercedesbenz.com
www.autowereld.com