Betterfrost’s solution defrosts and defogs Electric Vehicles’ windshields with 20 times less power than current technology and extends the range of an EV by 38 km on an average commute in winter. This range is worth $600/vehicle in battery pack cost to automakers. Our system provides high-voltage, pulsed power to the transparent, conductive layer inside of windshields (e.g. low-e glass). Our solution is based on decades of research at the Dartmouth Ice lab, where they studied how ice forms, adheres to surfaces, and melts. Our patented system controls the penetration depth of heat to provide only the minimal amount of heat necessary to melt the boundary layer of ice for easy removal. This is in contrast to current methods which flood surfaces with heat and are energy intensive. Our solution also keeps the windshield fog free with 20x less energy than current methods.

Our solution includes an Electrical Control Unit(ECU) that runs our control algorithm. We have conducted hundreds of cold chamber tests, field tests, and deep cold tests down to -40C to validate the technology works. We have completed a successful trials at two OEMs and at a Tier 1 supplier. At one of the OEMs in their R&D test lab in May, their EV took 20 minutes to defrost the windshield per FMVSS103. In contrast, our system only took 45 seconds to clear the ice from the same vehicle running the same test. We have additional tests scheduled at another OEM and Tier 1 in the next 6 weeks.

At two OEMs they are paying for the next stages of development to integrate the technology into an EV. We have shared pricing information for business cases on upcoming EV models.

We have raised $2.5M so far, including a strategic investment by Toyota Tsusho. We have 2 patents granted, 10 licensed from Dartmouth, and 1 pending. Our team has deep automotive experience at an OEM & Tier 1’s in innovation, product development, operations, and finance, along with startup experience. Our R&D team deep experience in thermodynamics, electrical control, software development and materials science.

In April 2022, we won the Global Automotive Mobility Innovation Challenge (GAMIC) at SAE WCX World Congress.