Microheat has a product out called HotShot that helps melt ice and snow off the windshield in the winter and remove bugs, dirt and pollen in milder weather. Hotshot sprays heated water onto the windshield in shorts bursts to melt ice and snow. The technology is becoming available on more and more vehicles. It is currently offered on the following GM models: the Cadillac DTS and Escalade, the Buick Lucerne, the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, the GMC Yukon and the Hummer H2.
First available on vehicles in 2004, the convenience and safety of HotShot has catapulted the product to a highly desired feature by most drivers, according to research from J.D. Power and Associates. According to the research, 69 percent of drivers surveyed expressed interest in having a system like HotShot on their next vehicle. They ranked it higher than features currently in series production such as Satellite Radio, Navigation, and Rear Seat Entertainment systems.
"Half a million motorists now enjoy the convenience, comfort and safety of HotShot in every season and under all driving conditions," said Microheat President and CEO Gary Pilibosian. "The system automatically removes snow, ice, bugs and road grime from windshields in under 90 seconds with the push of a button."
Introduced commercially in 2002, HotShot features a patented cycling technology that intelligently heats fluid to an exact temperature and sprays the fluid at a precise time interval to quickly and efficiently remove snow, ice, bugs and road grime from vehicles. The all-season, all-weather system can be activated at vehicle start-up and maintains hot fluid for use by drivers on demand during normal driving conditions.
The acclaimed HotShot has been the recipient of numerous awards including: Finalist in 2006 PACE Awards, celebrating product and process innovations; Frost & Sullivan's 2005 Excellence in Emerging Technologies Best Practices Award; Popular Mechanics deemed it the "Outstanding Achievement in New Product Design and Innovation;" RoadStar Magazine and Newport Publications awarded Microheat in 2004. Microheat's CEO Gary Pilibosian was named Automation Alley's 2006 Emerging Leader.
You can see some videos of Hotshot here. Alarm Clock notes how Microheat raised $50 million in financing for its de-icing product. If the product can do what it does in the videos on a reliable basis then the investments have probably been worth it. Jalopnik jokes that's it is Paris Hilton's de-icer.
