Rivian Files Patent for Heated Headlight Technology in Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian has filed a patent for heated headlight technology, according to The Drive.
Published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office late last month, the patent outlines using a layer of carbon nanotube to help combat snow-covered headlights in its EVs.
The patent outlined a few ways CNT could be used, such as a transparent layer of it that is applied over the headlight like a film. A controller could be used to activate this CNT layer through either battery pack discharge or a redirected current.
Alternatively, silver busbar, or another source of heat could either touch or be combined with the CNT layer, helping manage the current heating the CNTs, according to the patent. It also proposed a layer of CNT being applied within the lens itself and released as a substrate. It would be spray coated in thin layers ranging from nanometers to micrometers.
Rivian also noted that the use of CNT could be used to warm other parts of a vehicle, such as the windows, mirrors, and potentially the vehicle’s exterior body.
