HotShot Makes Ice Scrapers Obsolete

500,000 throughout world now have heated washer fluid on car

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Nov. 21 -- More than 500,000 drivers throughout the world will not scrape snow, ice and freezing rain from their windshields this winter thanks to a revolutionary de-icing technology that makes ice scrapers obsolete. HotShot(R) is the patented cycling, hot-fluid, de-icing system designed and manufactured by Microheat, Inc., a Tier-One supplier to the automotive industry. It represents the greatest breakthrough in windshield wiper technology in over 70 years.

HotShot is currently featured on a variety of General Motors vehicles including the Cadillac DTS and Escalade, the Buick Lucerne, and SUVs and full size trucks including the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, the GMS Yukon, Hummer H2, Sierra, and Silverado. In addition, more than 20 OEMS throughout the world are in various stages of testing the product. Microheat has shipped product to Daihatsu for vehicles in Japan, has a purchase order from Toyota, and has a sourcing agreement with Ford.

First available on vehicles in 2004, the convenience and safety of HotShot has catapulted the product to a highly desired feature by most drivers, according to research from J.D. Power and Associates. According to the research, 69 percent of drivers surveyed expressed interest in having a system like HotShot on their next vehicle. They ranked it higher than features currently in series production such as Satellite Radio, Navigation, and Rear Seat Entertainment systems.

"Half a million motorists now enjoy the convenience, comfort and safety of HotShot in every season and under all driving conditions," said Microheat President and CEO Gary Pilibosian. "The system automatically removes snow, ice, bugs and road grime from windshields in under 90 seconds with the push of a button."

Introduced commercially in 2002, HotShot features a patented cycling technology that intelligently heats fluid to an exact temperature and sprays the fluid at a precise time interval to quickly and efficiently remove snow, ice, bugs and road grime from vehicles. The all-season, all-weather system can be activated at vehicle start-up and maintains hot fluid for use by drivers on demand during normal driving conditions.

The acclaimed HotShot has been the recipient of numerous awards including: Finalist in 2006 PACE Awards, celebrating product and process innovations; Frost & Sullivan's 2005 Excellence in Emerging Technologies Best Practices Award; Popular Mechanics deemed it the "Outstanding Achievement in New Product Design and Innovation;" RoadStar Magazine and Newport Publications awarded Microheat in 2004. Microheat's CEO Gary Pilibosian was named Automation Alley's 2006 Emerging Leader.