General Motors is developing heated seatbelts for winter driving report

New patent filings show US car giant General Motors is working on heated seatbelts – but it’s not the first time we’ve seen the idea.

General Motors is looking to take the chill out of winter, with the US car giant currently developing heated seatbelts.

Patent filings uncovered by US website GM Authority shows General Motors is working on lap-sash seatbelts that can be heated in a number of different ways.

One design uses a porous material which can release warmed air from the car’s ventilation system, while another uses thermoelectric elements to create heat – in the same way as heated seats or electric blankets work.

However, GM isn’t the first to show off the idea of a ‘heat belt’.

In January 2023, a German automotive parts giant ZF – perhaps best known for supplying six-speed automatic transmissions to BMW and Ford BA Falcon and Territory line-ups – released details of its heated seatbelt.

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ZF argued something like a heated seatbelt could ensure the comfort of the driver and passenger, while also freeing up energy normally used for the heater and ventilation system – resulting in a driving range boost of up to 15 per cent in electric cars.

“A heated seat belt warms the upper body and pelvic area evenly from the front. In combination with heated seats, the heated seat belt has the potential to provide occupant comfort quickly,” ZF said in a statement at the time.

“Reducing the amount of battery current used to heat the interior of the vehicle may enable a range gain of up to 15 per cent [in electric cars],” the company claimed.

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