Disinfecting police cars has been of paramount importance during the pandemic, and after the New York Police Department asked Ford for an improved method to sanitize its vehicles, the carmaker has come up with a solution: heating it up.
Ford SUV
The company announced the end of May that its SUVs, which are largely used in the U.S. police force, now have a new software that will burn out germs. The Ford Police Utility, a version of the Ford Explorer SUV, is now kitted out with the new software that raises the heat up to 56°C (133°F) for 15 minutes.
According to the World Health Organization, Heat at 56°C kills the SARS coronavirus at around 10000 units per 15 min (quick reduction).
Ford’s SUVs can now automatically heat up as though they were sitting baking in the middle of the desert on a hot Summer’s day. So much so that it’s enough to kill 99% of germs that may be infectious within the vehicle, including the coronavirus, as per Ford’s statement.
XPeng, EV OEM from Guangzhou, China just added the same feature since the COVID-19 outbreak.
The interior isn’t harmed during the process, the only thing that’s harmed are those little germs. The entire process is more efficient than using disinfectant spray or wipes throughout the vehicle’s interior, as spots and places could be missed.
It sounds like an interesting idea, but will it be good enough? Medical world typically needs more than 99% success rate, more like 99.9999%. And what’s the extra fuel consumption look like?
