• Radiant heat could be key to using less energy to heat vehicle cabins
• Heated glass could help rapidly defrost windshields in the future
• Window tint could help lower vehicle cabin temps and increase efficiency

At a technology demonstration event in South Korea, Hyundai and Kia recently showed off new ways to heat and cool vehicle cabins more efficiently.

One of these new tech features is a radiant heating system that uses a heating element to direct warm air at occupants’ legs. It delivers warmth to the lower body within three minutes, with less energy use than conventional methods, Hyundai said.

The heating element can reach 230 degrees Fahrenheit, but has a burn prevention system that automatically lowers the temperature when body contact is detected. For the demonstration, nine panels with this heating element were installed on a Kia EV9 electric SUV, covering the base of the steering column, door panels, center console, and the base of the glove box.

Heated surfaces can help warm drivers and passengers more quickly and efficiently than blowing air around the cabin, as conventional climate control does. In 2023 supplier ZF introduced heated seat belts that the company claimed could increase EV range by up to 15% through energy-use reduction.

Hyundai and Kia also demonstrated heated glass, with energy provided by a 48-volt electrical system. This can fully defrost the glass in five minutes at temperatures as low as -0.4 degrees Fahrenheit, which is up to four times faster than conventional climate control, the automakers claim, adding that the glass can also reduce climate-control energy use by 10% because the embedded metal coating used to transmit heat also blocks solar rays on hot days.

While it hasn’t been demonstrated publicly, General Motors has tried to patent its own electrically heated windshield, also using conductive elements embedded in the glass. But both versions—along with the other tech shown by Hyundai and Kia here—are still not guaranteed for production.

The demonstration also included the window-tinting tech Hyundai first showed in 2023. This uses a special film to block heat from entering the vehicle while also allowing heat that has already built up to escape. Hyundai previously demonstrated this film on customer cars in Pakistan—where the weather is hot but conventional window tinting is illegal—and has claimed temperature reductions of 54.5 degrees Fahrenheit in internal testing.