Is Smartphone Glass Coming to Your Car’s Windshield?

How many times have you heard a rock slam into your car’s windshield, forcing you to spend the next few seconds looking for a chip, crack or spider? Or, have you tried to work emergency windshield repairs into your already busy schedule? If so, wouldn’t it be nice if your windshield’s glass was a strong as your smartphone’s? At CES 2018, the manufacturer of Gorilla Glass, Corning, announced that it is ready to use its durable glass in automotive applications.

The Announcement

The CES 2018 conference brings together innovative companies to showcase new products. At the conference, Corning exhibited a car that had Gorilla Glass throughout. That’s right, the company used the same material that keeps your smartphone from shattering as a car’s windshield, sunroof, rear window and for certain interior components. While the company gave no cost estimate for installing Gorilla Glass in automobiles, it did indicate that it had formed a partnership with the manufacturing company, Saint Gobain, to make Gorilla Glass windows for vehicles that are currently in production.

The Benefits

Unlike traditional automotive glass, Gorilla Glass is thin and light-weight. These features may make automobiles increasingly energy efficient while allowing vehicle manufacturers to design interesting new cars. Even though Gorilla Glass is considerably lighter than conventional glass, it is at least two times more resistant to damage from hard objects. As such, for many drivers, spidering and cracking may be things of the past if they choose to upgrade to a Gorilla Glass windshield.

The Cool Factor

Per the announcement, Corning doesn’t intend only to make Gorilla Glass windshields. Rather, it plans to use the material in other windows and interior screens. During the CES, exhibitors demonstrated a cool feature of Gorilla Glass windows. By inserting an opacity layer between two thin sheets of Gorilla Glass, demonstrators turned a clear window into a tinted one with just the push of a button. They also indicated that the thinness of Gorilla Glass makes cold-bending possible for curved side windows, windshields and other applications.

The Result

Soon, new vehicles likely will have Gorilla Glass windshields. For older cars, replacement windshields will probably be available shortly thereafter. Anyone interested in swapping traditional glass for a modern alternative should talk with an experienced auto glass repair or replacement technician. Still, you may not have to worry about rocks and other road debris damaging your windshield for much longer. Following the CES 2018 announcement, Gorilla Glass may be coming to your car’s windshield sooner than you think.