COVID-19 Has Even Changed Car Design

Reviewing Introduction of Antiviral New Materials and Photocatalyst Air Conditioning Devices
Hyundai Motor Group Developing Interior UV Lamp for Internal Sterilization
Ford Testing Software to Raise Vehicle Interior Temperature for Virus Elimination
China Geely Auto Equipping Air Conditioning Filters at Medical Mask Level

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) crisis prolongs, car designs are also changing. Automakers are accelerating the development of virus elimination technologies such as introducing new materials considering disinfection, ultraviolet sterilization lamps, and photocatalytic (chemical changes caused by light) air conditioning devices to reduce the virus survival rate inside vehicles.

According to the automotive industry on the 16th, recently Hyundai Motor Group is developing vehicle interior lights applying ultraviolet sterilization technology. Innovative measures are being considered, such as installing ultraviolet interior lights on the headlining part of the car ceiling to disinfect the entire interior or applying ultraviolet sterilization functions to ambient mood lights located throughout the vehicle.

Applying ultraviolet lamps on the ceiling can disinfect seats, floors, dashboards, and steering wheels all at once, but since the light source is concentrated in one place, it is difficult to sterilize corners where the light does not reach. Therefore, adding ultraviolet sterilization functions to ambient mood lights located throughout the vehicle interior, such as on doors and dashboards, is being strongly discussed. However, since ultraviolet rays can adversely affect the human body, this function must operate only when all passengers have exited the vehicle.

Hyundai Motor Group is considering the development of technology that installs ultraviolet lamps in the vehicle headlining to sterilize the interior of the vehicle.
Photo by Hyundai Motor Group

Karim Habib, Head of Kia Motors Design Center, recently said in an interview with foreign media, "The COVID-19 virus has significantly influenced the future direction of car design," and added, "(Kia's design team) is discussing design elements to respond to the virus, such as interiors with antiviral coatings and surface sterilization using temperature control or ultraviolet light."

Along with this, Hyundai Motor Group is also developing a photocatalytic air conditioning device that eliminates airborne bacteria. This is based on the judgment that managing air quality inside the vehicle is paramount to overcoming the respiratory disease COVID-19. The core of this technology is to decompose bacteria in the air into water and carbon dioxide using the photocatalytic principle.

Global automakers are also setting 'disinfection' as a key task in vehicle design and are focusing on technology development. Ford developed software that raises the interior temperature to bake and eliminate viruses and tested it on the U.S. police car 'Police Interceptor Utility.' This software is designed to use heat generated from the air conditioning system and powertrain to raise the vehicle interior temperature to about 56 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes, eliminating up to 99% of viruses.

Ford is developing software that raises the interior temperature of a vehicle to about 56 degrees Celsius to eliminate viruses. The photo shows the Ford Police Interceptor Utility being tested with the software. Photo by Ford

In February, when the spread of COVID-19 peaked in China, Geely Automobile announced plans to invest about 370 million yuan (approximately 63 billion KRW) in automotive research and development (R&D) with virus prevention functions. Geely is developing antiviral new materials by linking R&D centers and design centers in the U.S., Europe, and China, and has also released vehicles equipped with special air conditioning filters. These vehicles apply filters at the same level as medical masks that filter out more than 95% of fine particles with a diameter of 0.3 micrometers.

Habib said, "In the past few months, COVID-19 has completely changed our current lives and the way we will live in the future," adding, "We need to watch how not only vehicle design but also issues related to the sharing economy and shared mobility, which have been in the spotlight, will develop after COVID-19."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.