Hyundai Develops Smart Air Purification System

Hyundai Motor Group claims to have developed a ‘Smart Air Purification system’ which uses an automated system to monitor interior air quality and automatically filters the air inside a car. The system is an extension of the work that the company has already done to enhance in-car air quality. The new automated monitoring system continually checks the interior air quality till ‘Excellent’ status is achieved.

When the new system is used in tandem with advanced filtering innovations, the technology has the capability to remove fine particulates before passengers enter the car, and the air in the cabin will continue to be purified throughout the journey. The new technology is likely to be used in future Hyundai and Kia vehicles and was developed in response to growing concern about the impact that fine particulates can have on general health, especially in highly-congested urban areas.

Conventional air purification systems can operate only for a set period when they are activated. They turn off after a designated time whether the air quality in the cabin has improved or not. In sharp contrast, the new Smart Air Purification system continually monitors the car’s air quality, and activates the purification function if the air quality decreases to ‘Fair’ level. It continues the cleaning process until the air quality improves to an ‘Excellent’ level. Even in the event that the exterior air quality is at ‘Poor’ level, the system has the capability to purify the air inside to ‘Excellent’ quality almost instantaneously.

Passengers can use the vehicle’s audio-video navigation (AVN) screen to monitor interior air quality levels  as it will have a visual 16-bar digital display of air quality that fluctuates in real-time. This has several different categories based on Korea Environmental Corporation Standards, which categorizes four levels of air quality based on the presence of fine particulate matter: Excellent, Good, Fair and Poor.

Commenting on the new system, YongSuk Shin, head of FR Interior & Exterior System Engineering Design Team said that it was important for Hyundai to enable its customers to breathe the cleanest air, even in highly-polluted areas. This shows how Hyundai Motor Group strives to care for its customers. The new system is one of the many projects that the Hyundai team is working on to provide its customers with the best in-car environments.

Hyundai tested the system’s durability and reliability using a special integrated, laser-based sensor that it had designed for the purpose. Conventional sensors are likely to experience reliability issues as fine particulates can gradually build up on the measurement lens. A laser-based design eliminates this concern. Furthermore, rigorous testing ensures that the purifier’s fan motors and sensors will maintain full functionality both in extremely cold and hot environments.

The new interior purification system can be used in tandem with advanced high-performance air filters which can enhance the collection rate of fine particulates from 94 percent to 99 percent. The new filtration system also has a charcoal-based deodorization function and can automatically close car windows to assist the purification process.