Please tell me about Quickclear windscreens.
Please tell me about Quickclear windscreens. Is Ford only one offering this? What about all other makers of cars and vans?
Fergal Reidy (Celbridge)Jan 2015 Filed under: windows
Expert answer
Hi Fergal,
Ford did have a patent on this technology, or more accurately, on a particular application of it and of course the brand name, Quickclear. The Ford patent dates from as far back as 1977, but it expired in 2011, as far as we can ascertain. Mind you, element heated windscreens are nothing new. The practice started in aviation in the 1950s and in the 60s Bentley even offered one as an option on Continental models - its heating elements were pure gold of course, the best conductor of heat.
Nowadays, a number of car makers do in fact offer heated windscreens as an option. Companies formerly owned by Ford, such as Jaguar and Land Rover, are top of the list because they gained a licence to use Ford's own tech, but other car makers also have their own systems - Volkswagen offers it on a number of different models for instance.
@neilmbriscoe