When the Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric crossover launched, Hyundai forgot one thing: a rear wiper. Understandably, given the vehicle’s hatchback-like form, this proved to be a bit of a problem, as turbulence behind the vehicle frequently deposited grime on the rear glass, particularly during wintry months, with no way to clean off said grime while on the go. While Hyundai has rectified this with the Ioniq 5 N and the upcoming 2025 Ioniq 5, that still leaves tens of thousands of owners in search of a rearward visibility solution.
Obviously, the most comprehensive solution is to figure out a way to retrofit all the wiper parts and the rear glass from the 2025 model year car onto prior models, but since that’ll be a seriously expensive endeavor, owners are looking for a Band-Aid. Well, here it is, at least in Kickstarter form.
Called the GeckoWiper, it’s the brainchild of Zurich-based inventor and Hyundai Ioniq 5 driver Robert Bleischwitz. It’s a detachable, battery-powered rear wiper being launched through Kickstarter starting at around $365. Despite the price, demand is so strong that ordinary people have pledged more than 400 percent of what its creator has actually asked for. While it won’t do everything a traditional rear wiper setup will do — there’s no washer mechanism, for example — it promises to quickly clear the rear glass on demand.
So, how does it hold onto the glass? Well, it uses a combination of vacuum and magnetism. See, a suction cup on the back of the external unit sticks the wiper to the glass while a big magnet on the other side of the glass keeps it held down. I’ve got a phone mount that works on a similar principle and find that it can keep a cell phone in place at racetrack pace, so this seems like a plausible way of holding something weighing 2.2 pounds to a rear window.
Better yet, activation seems pretty simple. A little remote magnetically sticks to a factory-installed panel to the left of the gauge cluster on any Ioniq 5, and you just tap that button twice or for two seconds to get two quick wipes. That’s nearly as good as a dashboard-mounted switch, and it doesn’t require any wiring or disassembly to install.
With 180 degrees of sweep, the creators of the GeckoWiper believe it can be made to work with a variety of cars that lack rear wipers. The Tesla Model Y and Model 3, Kia EV6, and Polestar 2 are examples already cited, but theoretically, given the right wiper tension and sweep, you could put this on just about anything. Kia Stinger or Audi A7, anyone?
The GeckoWiper appears to be an interesting workaround, but a few questions linger that aren’t answered by the Kickstarter page. To start, how long does the battery last? The creators of the GeckoWiper claim a standby time of up to six months, but how much time of active wiping do you actually get out of a charge if you’re, say, frequently clearing snow with the wiper? Furthermore, will people remember to charge their wipers? That’s an insane sentence and yet a valid concern. Even if you’re used to plugging in your car every night, you probably aren’t used to plugging in your rear wiper periodically, so that’ll certainly be an adjustment. Finally, what happens if someone tries to steal it, or it gets hit? Will it break away, will it crack the rear glass, what’s the move?
At first glance, the GeckoWiper doesn’t seem perfect, but it does look promising and potentially useful. At the end of the day, that might be all it needs to be. Of course, this all comes with an asterisk as customer deliveries aren’t expected to start until February 2025, but this seems like a Kickstarter worth watching.
(Photo credits: GeckoWiper)
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
The Tiny Rear Wipers On Modern Cars Are Pathetic But I Have A Solution
-
This Could Be A Fix For The Stupid Little Arcs So Many Rear Window Wipers Make
-
Third Brake Lights Should Be Mounted On Rear Wiper Arms
-
Jeep’s New ‘High Performance’ Wiper Blades Aren’t A Gimmick, But They Aren’t New Technology Either. Here’s How They Work
-
The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT Is An Off-Road Version Of An Awesome EV Hatchback, And It’s Being Built In America To Get That Sweet Tax Credit
Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.
I hope the inventor nails a bulletproof patent for this because if it can be used as generic on any car (which clearly looks to be the case), these will sell like condoms at a high school graduation ball. My Fiat Stilo has a rear wiper and you would be surprised how useful it is. I don’t drive with it on but flicking it on occasionally for a few seconds in very heavy rain makes all the difference to rear vision. The only thing that would make it better is an intermittent mode like the front wipers.
this is useful beyond autos too