Hyundai And Kia Want Cars That Can Sanitise Themselves

Keeping Clean

Ever since the COVID-19 Pandemic, people have been more careful and more sensitive about the cleanliness of everyday surfaces. The idea that a virus that bad can latch onto us from any surface has given us more reason to clean the surfaces we're exposed to on a daily basis.

Cleaning can be tedious; some automakers have apparently been working hard to offer sanitizing features for cars. After all, cars are used daily and are exposed to different matters from the outside world.

Plasma Care UVC

Korean automotive giants Hyundai and Kia have just announced they are developing a new in-car sanitization feature called Plasma Care UVC. This new technology harnesses far-ultraviolet C (Far-UVC) light in the 200–230 nanometer (nm) range. This specific wavelength of ultraviolet light is safe for humans and delivers high energy, making it effective for sanitation. Research found that this light does not penetrate the outer keratin layer of human skin. This protective layer isn't found on bacteria and viruses, which enables this light to penetrate them and kill the DNA.

In practical applications, Hyundai and Kia say that Plasma Care UVC also helps remove odor-causing organisms during their proliferation, keeping the interior as fresh as possible. Safe Plasma Carve UVC was achieved by creating a compact, durable system powered by a specialized plasma lamp and equipped with advanced safety controls.

Multiple Applications

One of the breakthrough features of this technology is the use of a plasma lamp, which can achieve the desired wavelength, unlike traditional LED bulbs. Next up, the system itself was made more compact and power-efficient compared to the larger-scale applications found in hospitals or schools. Lastly, the feature has been designed to operate in harsher conditions, and an additional optical filter has been added to ensure only safe UV light is emitted.

Both automakers are keen to point out that not only is the Plasma Care technology offered for passenger and private applications, but it also has a use case for public vehicles like school shuttles, buses, and food delivery vehicles, helping keep them fresh and virus-free.

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