This week, Tesla Motors announced the results of its tests for a new feature of its Model X: an air-filtering system that takes out the pollen, bacteria, and pollution from the air before it enters the vehicle.
The company states that the feature is “hundreds of times more efficient than standard automotive filters.” It was tested on California freeways, in the central valley of California, and cities in China.
They also placed Model X in a bubble containing a tremendously high level of pollution. After putting the vehicle in Bioweapon Defense Mode, the pollution levels inside the automobile were nearly completely wiped out in under two minutes and were found undetectable. The system is also able to start reducing the pollutants in the air outside of the vehicle once the air inside is clean.
The HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration system will also be a part of Model S, which is currently in production.
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk tweeted about the system, giving credit to Larry Page, CEO of Alphabet Inc.:
Filtering particulates from air makes a significant & measurable diff to health. Wd like to credit Larry Page with turning me on to this.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 2, 2016