Vicor enables Betterfrost Technology to defrost glass in record time
Defrosting icy windshields can channel waste heat from internal combustion engines to the windshield, inefficiently distributing it across the surface. EVs, in particular, need to reevaluate their de-icing approaches, since traditional HVAC methods for windshield defrosting are inefficient and ineffective. At freezing temperatures, windshields ice over quickly on the road, obscuring visibility
Vicor customer, Betterfrost Technology, has developed technologies capable of solving the defrosting problem. Utilising proprietary algorithms and high-density power-conversion modules to provide pulsed power, car and truck windows can be defrosted in 60 seconds using 20x less energy than existing HVAC defrost systems.
As passenger cars and commercial trucks transition to electric powertrains, the ‘free’ heat byproduct disappears, enabling EVs to draw energy from the main battery to defrost and defog.
To remove ice from a windshield, it does not need to be completely melted; it is enough to weaken the bond between the ice and the glass at what is called the ‘interfacial layer’.
To achieve this, Betterfrost sends short, controlled pulses of power through the glass surface, creating a thin quasi-liquid layer under the ice that releases it from the windshield without heating the entire surface.
A vital component of the Betterfrost solution is a 48V-centric power-delivery network that relies on power-dense, automotive-qualified 800V and 400V-to-48V fixed-ratio Vicor BCM bus converters to deliver safe, efficient, high-speed pulses to glass surfaces.
The Vicor BCM6135 has a power density of 3.4kW/in3 and functions as a DC-DC transformer, where the voltage applied to the high-voltage input is transformed to the low-voltage side according to the module’s conversion ratio, or K factor. For example, with a K of 1/16 and an 800V input, the output voltage is 50V.
Vicor BCM modules meet creepage and clearance standards in a compact footprint that is up to 90% smaller than conventional DC-DC converters.
Derrick Redding, Betterfrost CEO and automotive industry veteran, said, "Vicor makes 48V power delivery easy to derive without excessive size or weight limitations. Nobody else does what they do at that level of efficiency and power density."