Some Chinese car manufacturers have begun offering new design features that will help limit the bacteria and virus from spreading, including SARS-CoV-2. Chinese auto companies such as Geely has announced its new $52million initiative known as the "Healthy Car Project."
Cars made under this innovation will be using a unique filtration system, called G-Clean Intelligent Air Purification System (IAPS) which Geely claims will offer a similar degree of particle and aerosol screening as medical-grade face masks.
Anti-coronavirus cars: The healthy car project
A Geely spokesperson said in an interview with BBC that cars have now become the second home of consumers as they spend a considerable amount of time in their vehicles. The auto company promised to roll out a 'new environmentally sustainable materials with antibacterial and antiviral properties which can be used inside air-conditioner systems and on surfaces that are frequently touched like buttons and handles.
Geely is also promoting a new 'contactless' home delivery service using drones to deliver the car keys to the homes or apartments of the customers to minimize exposure to staff as an additional feature to its new design changes.
Aside from Geely Auto, many other car manufacturers in China have also started developing their own COVID-19 inspired design features.
The Shanghai Automotive Group Joint-stock Limited Corporation or SAIC Motor Corporation Limited is a Chinese state-owned automotive design and manufacturing company. They plan to give its customers the option to add an ultraviolet lamp to its cars air conditioning vents. The company claims that the UV lamp will sterilize the air being circulated into the main cabin.
Another auto company, the Guangzhou-based GAC, has also begun promoting its filtration system that will protect against bacteria and viruses. These sort of technology have been popular already for many years in China.
Tesla has also promoted its 'Bioweapon Defense Mode' in 2015 which is an elaborate air filtering system that promises to remove at least 99.97% of fine particulate matter and other gaseous pollutants, and also bacteria, viruses, pollen and mold spores.
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Trendy but relies on unproven technology
Despite these new technologies coming out in the market in hopes to help protect car-users and other consumers from getting infected by the disease from cars, many experts have criticized these measures, MailOnline reported.
According to them, these are merely gimmicks that rely on unproven technology in a time where there is growing anxiety about pathogens and respiratory illness.
A lot of companies are now taking advantage of the people's fears of COVID-19 to sell products and services to consumers to charge a premium, said Shaun Rein of China Market Research Group to BBC. Although neither a doctor nor a scientist, he warns people to be cautious of any marketing scheme saying that their products reduce virus transmissions, especially SARS-CoV-2 the virus which causes COVID-19.
Industry analyst, Vivek Vaidya, of the firm Frost & Sullivan, said that these new design features would likely be picked up by other car manufacturers around the world. This will not be limited to China only, but it will become a global trend.
"The development of these features was already in the offing, but COVID-19 has provided more impetus," Vaidya said.
