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Volkswagen Reinvents the Windshield

As with most things in life, the windshield is a double edged sword. Not literally, that would be dangerous, but in the sense that although it protects you from debris, like low flying birds and errant fruit, it can also catch snow, impairing your vision. Until now, the solution was either a defroster, a fine filament in the windshield, or getting out and using a stick like some sort of neanderthal.

The defroster was slow and indirect, the fine filament was quicker but visible, and the stick needn’t be spoken of. Now VW thinks it’s found a better way. By installing a thin, invisible layer of silver in the glass, the windshield can warm up internally without obstructing visibility.

Using only 400 to 500 watts of electricity, snow and ice melt right off the windshield quickly. And better still, lower down the windshield, under the wipers, VW has installed traditional filaments out of view of the driver. This heats up the wipers, insuring that they aren’t themselves frozen, in what can only be described as a cruel twist of fate.

But this new windshield innovation doesn’t only help during the winter. In the summer the silver reflects 60% of the summer heat, keeping the car cooler than traditional tinting.

VW will offer the windshield as an extra on the Golf, Golf Sportsvan, Tiguan, Sharan, Passat and Passat Variant starting at €340.

The post Volkswagen Reinvents the Windshield appeared first on VWVortex.



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