A remote control facility on a car which heats the surface to several hundred degrees centigrade to melt the snow off quickly, from which the engine is insulated, and which can only be engaged when the car is parked and locked for safety. Works from a reservoir of petrol or oil stored separately in the car, far from the engine.
Obviously, as it stands there are loads of problems with this idea. It would drain the battery, render the car too hot to be safe, make it difficult to open the doors or touch, would be dangerous if engaged when people (or dogs) were in the car and so on. Yes, i'm aware of all these problems and as it stands this idea just doesn't work. So, has anyone got any suggestions regarding the flaws?-- nineteenthly, Dec 01 2010 here ya go A_20car_20fireplace [FlyingToaster, Dec 01 2010] I knew we had one somewhere Shake_20It_20Off_2c_20Chitti! [FlyingToaster, Dec 01 2010] How about a chemical snow-melter? You could have the car 'sweat' some kind of de-icing material whenever the temperature goes below 0.-- zen_tom, Dec 01 2010 I don't use my remote-control car in the snow.-- pocmloc, Dec 01 2010 Potassium citrate on the surface of the car maybe? Would that tend to cause corrosion? Or maybe the car could shake itself like a dog.-- nineteenthly, Dec 01 2010 block heater: on a timer to start up an hour or so before you want to get going. Could be strong enough to melt the snow off the hood (or at least make it easy to slide off). And as a bonus your engine will last longer.-- FlyingToaster, Dec 01 2010 In Scandinavia, many cars not only have block/sump heaters, but a mains powered heater in the passenger compartment. [Widely-Known-To-Exist]
We were hoping that this idea would be for some sort of mini tracked snowplough, with cameras, operable from a PC or games console.
No bun as (a) Prior Art, and (more importantly), (b) no Thermite.-- 8th of 7, Dec 01 2010 OK, fair enough. You could have a car covered in something which explodes spectangularly in contact with water, covered in an unreactive water-soluble layer. It could explode then, but it might do it in the middle of the night.-- nineteenthly, Dec 01 2010 //but it might do it in the middle of the night//
Or when you drive along and use the windscreen wipers and spray nozzles...-- Jinbish, Dec 01 2010 A la car alarm, [Jinbish]?
[FT], i was also surprised not to be able to find something similar, so there is.-- nineteenthly, Dec 01 2010 I remember the dog-shaking one from sometime.... the FJ one is a real find though.-- FlyingToaster, Dec 01 2010 To save the battery, have the car start remotely first. Then arrange for one or more cylinders to misfire, creating juddering and backfiring, as if the car is clearing its throat; this would mimic the dog shaking action. Meanwhile, the car could move past a low branch, whose sweeping action would further enhance the snow removal.
You would need a suitable cough-through slough bough though.-- spidermother, Dec 01 2010 Just tell the chauffer to plan ahead.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Dec 01 2010 sp. chaugheurgh-- pocmloc, Dec 01 2010 It does not need to be several hundred degrees. Embedded wires defrost windows nicely. They could be in all windows, and in the metal body too. Once the bottom is wet the snow and ice will just fall off.
"Chaugheuregh" is the sound I made after I hit that spidermother abomination up there.-- bungston, Dec 01 2010 My main concern about engine-based meltiness is that the battery is being called upon at quite a bad time for it. It's cold and the car's parked. That seems to be asking for trouble to me, but i know little about cars.-- nineteenthly, Dec 01 2010 .... and oh, it shows, it shows .....
What is needed is an automotiove rotisserie.
In the evening, the car is parked on the rotisserie.
The rotisserie rotates 180 degrees.
Snow accumulates on the underside of the vehicle.
In the morning, press the remote, and Viola ! The rotisserie rotates back, all the snow falls to the ground, and the driver is left with a snow-free car.-- 8th of 7, Dec 01 2010 random, halfbakery