Volkswagen testing ice- and fog-free windshield technology

Volkswagen is out to give us all a little taste of better living through chemistry. The company has partnered up with the minds at the Fraunhofer Institute to develop a windshield that's resistant to fog, frost and ice. The scientists managed to apply a thin layer of indium tin oxide to the outer layer of the glass, and they say that the compound does a good job of keeping frost from forming all the way down to zero degrees Fahrenheit. Pretty impressive.Volkswagen marketing gurus have taken to calling the coating "Low-E" for low thermal emissivity. How does it work? Details are scarce at the moment, but the manufacturer is saying the compound helps to keep heat from radiating skyward, essentially keeping the glass just a bit warmer than the ambient temperature. While the Low-E tech won't guarantee against fogging or frosting, it does greatly reduce its likelihood.So how long will it be before the windshield in your new Jetta is immune to Old Man Winter's shenanigans? No one is saying for sure. VW is still ironing out a few kinks at the moment, including the fact that the indium tin oxide wreaks havoc on both radio and cell phone signals.