Say Goodbye to having to spend time & energy scraping ice of your windshield during the winter, a scientist at Dartmouth University has developed a way to remove the ice in under a second. The technology called PETD (pulse electrothermal de-icing) involves having your windshield coated with a special film. When an electrical charge is applied to the film, it breaks the bonds between the ice and the film turning it to water and allowing the rest of the ice to slide away.
The technology also works in the reverse, enhancing the process of ice formation.
Besides the obvious benefits of easy de-icing your car on winter morning, the technology has huge use in commercial industries and can aid in reducing fuel costs involved in de-icing procedures. It can reduce the costs involved with power lines downed during ice storms, reduce fuel costs associated with de-icing the windshields of commercial planes. It can even aid in the energy costs associated with the simple defrosting of a fridge, frost free refrigerators reduce energy costs by a factor of two!!
The technology is already in use in Sweden, where it is being used to keep the Uddevella Bridge from icing over. Check out the videos here
Taken from CNET
