Hyundai’s Smart Air Purification system could make the air in your car cleaner

Cars need to do it all nowadays. In the urban jungle where pollution runs rampant, air quality is poor, but manufacturers have already taken steps to make sure that the air inside your car is odorless and clean. This comes in the form of your cabin air filter which makes sure the driver is safe from the unpalatable air that may intrude in the cabin. The system has remained the same throughout the years for most cars, but Hyundai has announced that it will be giving some of its cars a system that is more complex and not as simple. 

Hyundai Motor Group developed a Smart Air Purification system that will keep occupants breathing clean and quality air inside a car. The system will automatically detect if there are any particulate via an array of laser-based sensors that help ensure the system’s durability and reliability according to Hyundai. The development was made to address concerns regarding the health impact of fine particulates especially in highly populated urban areas where pollution is a health hazard. 

While conventional systems only operate for a set period of time when activated, it turns off and leaves the air quality alone after it’s done its job. Because there are sensors in the system, it grades the air from ‘poor’, ‘fair’, ‘good’, all the way up to ‘excellent’. After the air quality is detected and analyzed, the system will purify it and bring it up to ‘excellent’ almost immediately. 

For those of us who want to check the air quality inside the car, occupants can use the vehicle’s headunit in order to check what quality the air is at. A sixteen-bar display indicates the air quality in real time, and it fluctuates as the system detects changes. The standard that Hyundai uses in determining air quality is based on the Korea Environmental Corporation Standard. There are four levels in the standard and Hyundai also uses the same terms: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor. 

Because of the laser based system, it will ensure reliability and durability. Typically, sensors are prone to reliability issues as the fine particulate can cloud its sensing capabilities. Hyundai touts that the laser technology avoids the issue with conventional sensors, giving Hyundai’s R&D team more room for innovation. The system is also tested for extreme temperatures, be it hot or cold. 

Paired with the air filters in your air conditioning system, the system enhances the collection rate of particulate from 94% to 99%. Odors also won’t be a problem for the system as it features a charcoal-based deodorization function that can close car windows to assist in the purification process. 

Look out for this technology in Hyundai’s new models. Though the Korean brand still hasn’t mentioned what cars the new system will debut in, it’ll be interesting to see an entire Hyundai lineup with this important feature, seeing as pollution and congestion in the Metro isn’t getting much better for the time being.