Fact – Remember that SUPER-MEGA-CONDUCTOR-OVEN we were talking about? It’s kinda real. 😬 The interor of your vehicle actually heats up hotter and faster than the outside temperature which can add 20 degrees or more inside your vehicle in less than 10 minutes..

The simple explanation: 

The sun emits energy that is absorbed by all the stuff in your car like the dashboard, which gets reflected back into the car and heats up the interior air ultra-rapidly.

The technical explanation: 

The sun emits energy mostly in the form of shortwave radiation, which goes right through the glass of a car window. The sun’s shortwave radiation is absorbed by the surfaces inside the car such as the upholstery, the dashboard, and the steering wheel. These surfaces in the car then re-radiate the energy, but in the form of longwave (infrared) radiation. This heats up the air inside the car rapidly by convection and conduction. Since the windows are closed, the heat can’t escape. Longwave radiation can’t pass through windows as easily as shortwave radiation. Like the Greenhouse Effect, the heat gets trapped inside the car, turning temperatures inside the car from comfortably cool to dangerously hot and deadly in minutes.

Click image to see how fast a vehicle interior can heat up!

Fact – Studies show that even in less than 5 minutes, the cars can heat up to temperatures that are dangerous for pets and children. The inside of the car acts as a SUPER-MEGA-CONDUCTOR-OVEN and heats up to a hotter temperature than outside very quickly. Check our previous bullet point for a detail explanation of how this works.

Click image to see how fast a vehicle interior can heat up!

Fact – American Academy of Pediatrics study found: “In terms of heat-rise over time, it makes very little difference whether a car’s windows are closed or partially open. In both cases, a car’s interior temperature can rise approximately 40 degrees within one hour, even when the exterior temperature is only 72 degrees.”  For example, one study demonstrated that the average temperature increase of 3.4 °F per 5 minutes in a completely locked car was only reduced to 3.1°F per 5 minutes by cracking the windows.

Fact – Although this is partially true and dogs do cool themselves by panting, the temperatures inside a hot car are too much for panting alone to be effective in preventing dangerous outcomes!  

Fact – Unfortunately parking in a shady area won’t be enough to keep your pet at comfortable temperatures. “The position of the sun changes throughout the day, and the ambient temperature causes the car to heat up,” said Brad Nichols, senior manager of cruelty investigations with the Humane Society.  In an experiment, the Fire Department vehicle parked in the shade climbed nearly 19 F in 10 minutes, from 70 F to 89 F! 

Fact – Although lighter cars do reflect more heat making them better for gas mileage (you can have your a/c a bit lower when driving)  the difference for animals or children left in cars is negligible (126 F for white compared to 135 F for black) –  either temperature is too much for any living being.

Fact – Heatstroke can just as easily happen in your backyard. If your dog or cat spends a lot of time outdoors, ensure she always has plenty of fresh, cool water and adequate shade. Brachycephalic, or short-muzzled, breeds such as pugs and bulldogs are at an increased risk of heat stroke due to their stuffy noses and are best kept indoors on hot days. Pets who are advanced in age or overweight also are at increased risk of heatstroke.