A new air filtration system developed by Jaguar Land Rover inhibits viruses and bacteria from entering a car’s cabin with up to 97 per cent effectiveness. The British firm says the technology has also been proven to be effective against Covid-19. JLR partnered with leading microbiology and virology lab Perfectus Biomed Ltd to test the technology in a sealed chamber designed to simulate a car interior and ventilation system.

Air purification is achieved using Panasonic’s Nanoe X technology, which uses a high voltage to create a chemical reaction that denatures the virus and bacteria proteins, inhibiting their growth. Dr Steve Iley, JLR’s chief medical officer, said: “Our customers’ wellbeing 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.”

Alexander Owen, research engineer at JLR, said: “This technology is a great example of being able to harness the power of nature and puts JLR right at the forefront of this cabin technology. Hydroxyl Radicals are one of the most important natural oxidants in chemistry and have been helping to clean our atmosphere for millennia, removing pollutants and other harmful substances. The creation of this technology and our advanced research, is the first step in deploying this scientific phenomenon within vehicle cabins of the future.”

The technology will be implemented in future JLR vehicles, with many of its existing models already using an older version of this technology.