Jaguar Land Rover's new system for cleaner cabin air shows promise

LONDON: Jaguar Land Rover’s future cabin air purification technology has been shown in laboratory tests to inhibit viruses and airborne bacteria by as much as 97%.

The prototype heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system uses Panasonic’s nanoe™ X technology to inhibit harmful bacteria and viruses, and will help the cabins of future Jaguar and Land Rover models to deliver a unique customer experience.

The research comes as Jaguar Land Rover defines its future strategy: a sustainability-rich reimagination of modern luxury, unique customer experiences, and positive societal impact.

Jaguar Land Rover partnered with Perfectus Biomed Ltd, a leading microbiology and virology lab, to perform the world-leading laboratory-based sealed-chamber test designed to simulate a vehicle ventilation system in recirculation mode over a 30-minute cycle.

The independent research showed that viruses and bacteria were inhibited by as much as 97%.

Panasonic’s innovative nanoe™ X technology has also been tested on novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) by Texcell, a global research organisation that specialises in viral testing and immunoprofiling, and is one of the laboratories in the world with permission to test against novel coronavirus.

It found more than 99.995% of the virus was inhibited during the two-hour laboratory test.

Jaguar Land Rover’s chief medical officer Dr Steve Iley said: “Our customers’ well-being 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,” he said.

To provide active air purification the nanoe™ X technology - 10 times more effective than its predecessor nanoe™ - 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.