Stellantis wants to apply for a patent heated wheel arches to prevent snow and ice from accumulating during winter driving.
This feature is described in a patent application published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on October 31, 2024, but filed by Stellantis on April 25, 2023. As described in the application, it would rely on an electric heating element embedded in the wheel archwith a wire or other connection to power the vehicle.
Patent image of Stellantis heated wheel arch
The heating element would be sandwiched between the vehicle body and a wheel arch, with the latter exposed to the elements to protect the heating element and its wiring. Heat could still do that soak through the wheel well liner to melt ice and snow, Stellantis said.
The automaker has also been working on a conductive film for the heating element, which can be applied directly to a specific surface, noting that it may be better suited for use in electric vehicles and plug-in hybridswhich draw the power for the wheel arch heater from their high-voltage battery packs.
Patent image of Stellantis heated wheel arch
As Stellantis notes in the filing: snow and ice can accumulate and form large pieces. These can break off unexpectedly and provide an unpleasant surprise to drivers behind you, or cover cameras and sensors used for driver assistance systems and obstruct the deployable side steps, such as those available on Stellantis’ Ram pickup trucks.
Not all patented ideas make it into production, but this could be a fairly simple yet practical feature, similar to the deployable front tables that Stellantis also recently tried to patent.