We care about air quality in our home, but not so much for the air in the car even though we really should. Now, some automakers have air purification built into the car and for those that doesn’t, concern car owners would introduce external air purifier. Hyundai, however, thinks it can do better. The South Korean automaker has developed an Intelligent ‘Smart Air Purification system’ that monitors interior air quality and automatically filter air based on the air quality.
The system basically brings together the company’s development on a new automated monitoring system and the smart air filtration system. Unlike conventional air purification systems that function for a set duration upon manual activation, Hyundai Motor Group’s Smart Air Purification System continuously monitors the cabin’s air quality and activating the purification function whenever it detects the air quality drops to ‘Fair’ level. It will keep purifying until the air is deemed ‘Excellent’.
Hyundai said the system is able to remove fine particulates even before drivers and passengers enter the car, and the purification process will continue whenever in-car air quality drops below a certain threshold. As part of the development of this smart air purification system, Hyundai has engineered an integrated, laser-based air quality sensor that the company said will eliminate the reliability issues associated with conventional sensors.
Moreover, the purifier’s fan motors are put through rigorous tests to ensure will work even in extreme temperatures. All these developments are consummated by advanced high-performance air filters which Hyundai said can captured 94-99 percent of fine particulates. The filtration system also boasts a charcoal-based deodorization function and perhaps, even more fascinating is, the car can close the windows automatically to aid in the purification process. Because, you know, air purification ain’t no good of the windows are open and the world’s air is dropping by the cabin to say hi.
Finally, with Hyundai Intelligent Smart Air Purification System, drivers and passengers will be in the know of the interior’s air quality, in real-time, by referring to the vehicle’s AV navigation display. The visual indicator uses 16-bar digital display to show the air quality fluctuation and it is in accordance to Korea Environmental Corporation Standards. Hyundai Motor Group said the system is “under consideration” for future Hyundai and Kia vehicles. Though it did not say when.
All images courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group.
