An image illustrating Hyundai Motor’s UV sanitization system, built to automatically disinfect the entire cabin. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor
Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia said Thursday they have developed what they describe as the world's first ultraviolet (UV) sanitization system capable of disinfecting vehicle interiors while passengers are on board.
The technology, called Plasma Care UVC, uses Far-UVC light — a shortwave UV wavelength in the 200–230 nanometer range — generated through a plasma lamp rather than the LED sources used in conventional UV sanitizers.
Existing UV sterilization systems rely on wavelengths that can harm human skin and eyes, limiting their use to enclosed, unoccupied spaces. Far-UVC light, by contrast, cannot penetrate beyond the outermost layer of human skin but can reach the cellular DNA of bacteria and viruses, destroying them.
The system also reduces odors by eliminating odor-causing microbes as part of the sanitization process.
