Mercedes-Benz has filed a German patent for a nozzle system that blows snow off a car before the driver opens the door and a slab of it slides onto the seat. The document, numbered DE 102025149556 A1, was published on October 29, 2026.
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It describes a roof element fitted with nozzles, likely placed near where a roof rail would sit, that direct air toward the areas above or around the door opening. A compressed air supply provides the blast, and a button press would start it. The document does not specify pressure, flow rate, compressor type or whether the air is heated.
The problem is a familiar one in snow country. Opening a door in a storm can send the accumulated snow from the roof edge into the cabin, onto the seat and the upholstery, and the usual remedy is a brush or scraper used outside the car. The patent moves that chore to a switch, and the intended moment of use is before anyone gets in, which is why the filing places the nozzles above or around the door opening.
Nozzles in the roof: what DE 102025149556 A1 describes
Autoblog senior editor Karl Furlong, who wrote up the filing on November 3, credits the automotive site Car Moses with discovering it, and the European Patent Office translation portal carries the machine-translated record. Furlong expects air force, rather than heat, to do most of the work. Car Moses framed the idea around the familiar problem of snow dumping onto seats when a door opens after a storm. Keeping snow and meltwater out of the cabin could also matter for electronics and control units, which can be costly to repair after water exposure, according to Furlong.
E-Class All-Terrain and the $450 Winter Package
Furlong calls the E-Class All-Terrain the likeliest candidate: it has standard air suspension, and the patent includes a sketch of a Mercedes wagon. The model’s adaptive air suspension already lowers the car by 0.6 inches above 75 mph in the 2024 version. The All-Terrain can currently be equipped with a Winter Package for $450 that adds a heated steering wheel and heated windshield washers, and Furlong suggests the nozzles could be bundled into it. The GLE SUV and the 2027 S-Class sedan are also mentioned, since a dedicated air supply could be added to any model. German automakers often charge a premium for such conveniences, Furlong writes, and he expects Mercedes would do the same.
The compressed air supply raises a packaging question. A car with air suspension already carries a compressor and air lines, though nothing in the filing as Autoblog describes it says the nozzles would share that equipment, and a dedicated supply could be added to any model. That flexibility explains why Furlong lists the GLE and the S-Class as possibilities alongside the wagon.
The filing leaves a long list of engineering questions open. It does not say how long a blast would last, whether the system works on a heavy wet snow or only on powder, or whether it would clear the hood and trunk as well as the area around the doors. Furlong’s reading is that it will not cover every surface that state laws such as New Jersey’s require drivers to clear, which makes it a convenience rather than a replacement for a brush.
Cost is another unknown. The only price point in the story is the $450 Winter Package on the E-Class All-Terrain, which bundles a heated steering wheel and heated windshield washers. Furlong expects Mercedes could charge a premium for the nozzle system, in keeping with how German automakers price cold-weather and comfort equipment, though no number appears anywhere in the filing.
A published application and the snow-clearing laws
The A1 in the document number marks a published application, and Furlong cautions that a patent application is no guarantee that a particular feature will make it to production. Mercedes has not announced a snow-blowing option for any model, and the filing contains no launch date or price. Autoblog’s lead image, a 2027 GLE in snow, is credited to Mercedes-Benz and ChatGPT, so it illustrates the concept rather than showing patented hardware. No prototype, test video or Mercedes statement accompanies the filing, and companies file patents for many ideas that never reach dealers. The value of the document is as a signal of what Mercedes engineers are exploring for winter use.
Regulation gives the idea a practical hook. New Jersey legally requires drivers to clear snow from the roof, hood, trunk, windows and windshield before driving, and Furlong notes the patented system would not reach all of those areas but could make part of the job easier. He names Vermont, Alaska and New York among the snowy states likely to benefit, and he points readers to Autoblog’s guide to snow chains for other winter gear.
The unanswered question is performance. With no figures on air pressure or flow in the document, how much wet or packed snow the nozzles could actually move remains unknown.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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