Stellantis is trying to patent heated wheel wells to maintain snow and ice from build up throughout winter driving.
This characteristic is described in a patent software printed by the US Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) Oct. 31, 2024, however filed by Stellantis Apr. 25, 2023. As described within the submitting, it will depend on an electrical heating ingredient embedded within the wheel effectively, with a wire or different connection to provide energy from the car.
Stellantis heated wheel effectively patent picture
The heating ingredient could be sandwiched between the car’s physique and a wheel-well liner, the latter being uncovered to the weather to guard the heating ingredient and its wiring. Warmth would nonetheless have the ability to soak by the wheel-well liner to soften ice and snow, based on Stellantis.
The automaker additionally addressed a conductive movie for the heating ingredient, which could possibly be utilized on to a given floor, noting that it might be higher suited to make use of in electrical automobiles and plug-in hybrids, which draw energy for wheel-well heating from their excessive voltage battery packs.
Stellantis heated wheel effectively patent picture
As Stellantis notes within the software, snow and ice can construct up and type massive chunks. These can break off unexpectedly and create an disagreeable shock for following drivers, or cowl cameras and sensors used for driver-assist techniques, in addition to impair deployable facet steps—like those out there on Stellantis’ Ram pickup vehicles.
Not all patented concepts attain manufacturing, however this could possibly be a reasonably easy but sensible characteristic, not not like the deployable front-seat tables Stellantis additionally tried to patent not too long ago.
