Seatbelts aren’t just for safety
When the three-point seatbelt was first invented by Volvo, it changed vehicle safety forever.
In fact, back in 1959 Volvo and engineer Nils Bohlin realised that the design was so effective in improving safety that they made the new design patent open so that other manufacturers could use it for free.
Fast forward to 2023 and not much has changed when it comes to seatbelts.
The three-point seatbelt design was so effective that it remains almost exactly as it was when it was first invented.
But German engineers may have just come up with the biggest change to seatbelts in more than 50 years…
Heated seatbelts.
Yep, you read that right. The latest innovation that might be about to hit the market focuses on an alternative to heated seats.
The idea behind the heated seatbelt is to direct heat more effectively across the torso of anyone wearing it while also helping to increase the range of EVs.
Combined with heated seats, in theory they would reduce the need to use the vehicle’s heating system which would save energy.
Of course, heated steering wheels and heated seats are features in some vehicles already, although they’re often optional extras.
But heated seatbelts are on a whole other level.
There’s no word on how soon we’ll see them soon or which manufacturers have shown interest, but I suspect it’ll be a feature before too long – it’d definitely help with those freezing-cold winter mornings!
