Jaguar Land Rover kills COVID with climate control

Jaguar Land Rover has been working on an in-car air purification system it claims inhibits up to 97 per cent of viruses and bacteria, including novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

Still in its prototype phase, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system utilises Panasonic’s nanoe X technology.

According to Jaguar, the new nanoe X technology “uses a high voltage to create trillions of Hydroxyl (OH) Radicals enveloped in nano-sized water molecules. These OH Radicals denature the virus and bacteria proteins, helping inhibit their growth.

"The OH Radicals deodorise and inhibit allergens in a similar way to create a cleaner air environment for customers.”

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“This technology is a great example of being able to harness the power of nature and puts Jaguar Land Rover right at the forefront of this cabin technology,” Alexander Owen, research engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, said.

“Hydroxyl Radicals are one of the most important natural oxidants in chemistry and have been helping to clean our atmosphere for millennia, removing pollutants and other harmful substances.

“The creation of this technology and our advanced research, is the first step in deploying this scientific phenomenon within vehicle cabins of the future.”

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JLR hopes the new cabin air purification system will one day be implemented in all of its vehicles, and currently, models such as Jaguar’s I-Pace and Land Rover’s Evoque and Discovery already offer nanoe technology and PM2.5 filtration.

Cars will also be fitted with a pioneering pre-conditioning feature that will allow owners to pre-sterilise the vehicle before getting in.

The British automaker has partnered with Perfectus Biomed Ltd, a microbiology and virology laboratory, to assess the ingenious tech by conducting novel laboratory-based, sealed-chamber testing, which has been designed to simulate a vehicle’s ventilation system recirculating over a 30-minute cycle.

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“Our customers’ well being is of paramount importance to us – and now, more than ever, we are all looking for technological solutions that can help take care of our loved ones,” Dr Steve Iley, Jaguar Land Rover’s chief medical officer, said.

“The independent research, developed and commissioned by our expert engineers, is just one of the ways we are working to assure our customers that harmful pathogens are being minimised, providing a cleaner environment for passengers inside the cabin and setting new standards in the ownership experience.”

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