Audi want to match electric cars with a front-mounted particulate filter that cleans the air around you while you’re driving – or sitting still while charging.
The Ingolstadt brand is working with supplier Mann + Hummel on a filter device, designed to remove microscopic particles caused by brake, tire or road wear.
The World Health Organization recently outlined the need for significantly lower particulate matter limits to protect people’s health.
The filter is integrated into the vehicle’s existing airflow at the front of the radiator so only some simple modifications to the vehicle are required.
The filter is controlled via a switchable cooling inlet and its mechanical function is equivalent to that of a vacuum cleaner: fine dust particles remain trapped in the filter and air can still pass through the unit. filter.
While driving, it passively filters according to vehicle movement. During static charging, a fan built into each Audi EV pushes ambient air through the radiator and releases harmful oxygen particles.
Audi’s test project has been underway since 2020 and will last for 4 years.
After more than 50,000 km of testing on the Audi e-tron, the filters have been found to have no negative impact on EV performance, either on hot summer days or during fast charging, Audi claims.
The filter only has to be replaced at each regular service, the company adds.
Audi is working with Mann + Hummel to connect to existing sensors such as weather stations, and the two also plan to develop in-car display logic that will let occupants know when the system is active and how much. filtered air.
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Hyundai Nexo FCEV
“We anticipate it will also become a legal requirement in the future,” said project manager Fabian Groh.
We’ve heard of similar features before. For example, Hyundai Nexo Hydrogen fuel cell cars cleaned more than 900kg of air in a month during tests in 2018.
