Commercial Significance

Our primary product will be a double-layered engine oil pan with an outer layer filled with heat storage materials which release heat when optically triggered. The heat storage materials are novel composites of phase-change materials and photo-switching molecules that transfer heat from/to engine oil and control its temperature. 

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USER:

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The owners of gas or diesel-powered vehicles and the corporations that operate oil-lubricated machinery, such as airplane engines and boat engines that are impacted by cold weather, will be our major potential customers.

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NEED:

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The majority of damage in engine components occurs during a cold start. Commercially available stick heaters (300 W) take hours to charge and spend ~300 kWh of electricity per winter for a car. Currently, no device can instantly heat up engines, and there is no alternative energy-efficient option.

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MARKET SIZE:

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In 2018, around 2 million vehicles were sold in the frigid region of Canada, and customers spent ~$150 for the installation of the block heater at dealerships. Therefore, a market of $300 million in Canada exists, and this can be extrapolated to other countries and states.

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COMPETITION:

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Peterson dipstick heaters and Kat’s oil pan heaters are the major products and available at auto parts stores. The heaters cost $100-150, and the installation service is purchased at dealerships due to the challenging self-installation. Typically the installation takes a mechanic 1-2 hours.