Tesla’s futuristic concept of using lasers to clean vehicle windshields is back in the spotlight. Originally filed in 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Tesla an updated divisional patent for the technology on March 31, 2026.
While the idea of laser wipers seemed like a sci-fi engineering exercise, this recent patent update proves Tesla is still actively protecting and developing the idea.
The Reason for the Update
The new grant is officially a divisional application of the original 2019 patent. In patent law, a divisional application is filed when an original submission contains multiple distinct inventions. When this happens, the patent office issues a restriction requirement, forcing the applicant to split the claims.
Tesla received this restriction requirement back in 2020. Instead of abandoning the alternate claims, Tesla filed the divisional paperwork to secure them. Nearly 6 years later, this newly granted patent specifically protects the vehicular cleaning apparatus itself, focusing on how the system's circuitry determines the exact type of debris.
The system relies on a control circuit that calibrates the laser based on that specific debris type. It then pulses the laser at a specified rate, limiting penetration to a depth strictly less than the glass thickness. This eliminates the dirt or grime without firing a laser into the cabin.
The whole idea sounds outlandish, but Tesla must feel that there could be some potential for its use in the future. The whole idea of lasers was initially conceived when Tesla was trying to solve the problem of removing water from the Cybertruck’s windshield. Eventually, they settled on the giga wiper.
Is Tesla Still Considering Lasers?
The technology solves a problem for Tesla’s current and future vehicle lineup. The Cybertruck currently relies on a massive single-blade physical wiper, which presents its own unique aerodynamic and packaging challenges.
As Tesla pivots toward the Cybercab and Unsupervised FSD, maintaining clear cameras and windshields without human intervention is a must. An automated laser cleaning system that lacks degrading physical wiper blades could be the ultimate maintenance solution for a fleet of autonomous robotaxis.
