I went out to get in my car this morning and saw an 1/8 of an inch of ice. (Now I wonder where that came from) As I worked on the ice, I was reminded of something I was told that they do in Alaska.

First, they winterized their cars. They have a heater under the battery and engine block. That way when they turn the key to start the car it won’t just sit there and look at you. I was also told that a heater is also in the cabin to keep the vinyl from cracking. Just going on 2nd hand info. Sounds good to me.

Of course the heaters aren’t much good unless they have some electricity. Therefore, most of the businesses have outlets to plug the cars into. So you get out of your car and plug it into the outlet. When you get back to your car when it’s 2 or 3 below 0, you will still have an operating car, and maybe not so cold in the cabin.

Alright. Here in the Midsouth, we don’t need all that stuff, but it would be nice. The two main things I’m concerned about having a clear windshield and a reasonably warm cabin. Is that too much to expect?

Those restaurants that had the plugins would likely have maybe a bigger drawing. All that would be needed is a small heating element in the cooling system and a little pump to circulate the fluid. The fan is already there. It would just need a little electricity to run it. I suspect the whole thing could work off a twelve volt outlet. I mean, all we need is a little heat.

Okay. If that’s too much, let’s do this. A small heating pad, like the ones you buy when your hip is sore. It would need to be about as long as the window is wide and it would have to be well insulated. Finally, it need only be heated to 50 degrees. That would be enough to prevent the window from icing over. Ice melts above 32 degrees.

You put the pad over the window and plug it in before leaving the car. Upon return, you come out to a nice clear windshield. Well, either that or a missing pad. I suspect some people would be prone to take them.

Not all solutions are perfect.