Jaguar's new air purifier claims it can fully kill Covid-19 inside cabin

Jaguar Land Rover has announced that its newly-developed air purifier for its cars can kill almost 97 per cent of germs and bacteria inside and help keep a much cleaner air inside the cabin for its occupants. The technology, Jaguar claims, has been tested in its laboratory to ensure it can kill several viruses and airborne bacteria.

Jaguar has used a prototype heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system developed by Panasonic’s nanoe technology for the latest air purification for its cars. Jaguar Land Rover tied up with a microbiology and virology lab Perfectus Biomed to conduct the necessary tests. It helped the carmaker to simulate a vehicle ventilation system in recirculation mode over a 30-minute cycle.

Jaguar claims that the Panasonic’s nanoe technology has also been tested on novel coronavirusby a global research organisation called Texcell. It specialises in viral testing and immunoprofiling, and is one of the laboratories in the world with permission to test against Covid-19. According to a release shared by Jaguar, the report from a two-hour test found that the new air purifier can also kill nearly 100% of coronavirus.

Steve Iley, Jaguar Land Rover’s Chief Medical Officer, said, “Our customers’ wellbeing 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. 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."

Alexander Owen, Research Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, said, “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. 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."

The nanoe is claimed to be ten times more effective than its predecessor nanoe. It 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.

Existing models from Jaguar range, like all-electric I-PACE performance SUV, and Land Rover SUVs like the Discovery and Range Rover Evoque, come with nanoe technology and PM 2.5 filtration.