Tesla patent envisions lasers that act like windshield wipers to clean debris off cars
The electric vehicle maker has a new idea to keep cars clean.
The electric car company originally filed the patent application in 2018.
Tesla has thought up a new way to use lasers -- as windshield wipers. The US Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Tesla a patent on a way of using laser beams to clean debris off a windshield, and potentially other glass parts of a vehicle.
The patent is titled "Pulsed laser cleaning of debris accumulated on glass articles in vehicles and photovoltaic assemblies." The laser beams would act as "a cleaning apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a beam optics assembly configured to emit a laser beam to irradiate a region on a glass article that is installed in the vehicle," according to the patent.
Tesla filed a patent application for the laser-based technology back in 2018, which was previously reported by Electrek.
But just because the electric car company has a patent doesn't mean you'll see lasers on the next Tesla car. It's possible, but unlikely to be in production anytime soon. Last month, Tesla filed a patent application for a new glass-forming method for the Cybertruck.
