Nissan has figured out a way to test its paint and other materials without the need for sunlight. In fact, even on the darkest day of the year, Nissan engineers are still performing sunlight UV exposure tests thanks to a Xenon Weather-Ometeter (XWO) tool.

Used to evaluate material durability in different climate conditions, the XMO bakes nearly 100 samples using a 4,000-watt Xenon bulb. With radiation wavelength the same as the sun, the XMO makes the sun shine 24 hours a day. The samples even rotate around the bulb to imitate the earth’s orbit. Nissan says this cuts the time to test paint samples by half. Engineers observe the material samples through a series of cycles to investigate changes and ensure top durability and quality for Nissan customers.

Nissan uses test environments like the XWO accelerated weather chamber to replicate conditions that occur in a natural environment, right inside the lab. These test cells expose various types of material samples to a wide range of conditions that a vehicle may face throughout its lifecycle.