© PPG
PPG recently announced that it is supplying Lyft, one of the largest transportation networks in the United States and Canada, with a retroreflective powder coating for its e-bikes.
The e-bikes will be used in Lyft’s DIVVY bike share program to increase rider visibility. The program is the first use of retroreflective e-bikes in the United States.
Lyft’s pilot program launched in the California Bay Area in June 2021, in New York earlier this year, and will launch in Chicago in December.
PPG uses an Abel Gray finish. The paint color honors Lyft engineer Abel Lopez who was hit and killed by a vehicle while riding his bike in October 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 in our e-bikes,” said Edgar Japitana, Group Senior Manager, Lyft Supplier Industrialization Engineering. . “Improving safety for cyclists is paramount, and we are very proud to commemorate Abel through our partnership with PPG and its Abel Gray coating named in his honor.”
The PPG ENVIROCRON LUM coating was inspired by the reflective properties of deer eyes and uses a formulation with embedded glass beads that refract light and retro-reflect it to improve visibility.
