Improving the air quality inside vehicles is of growing importance to drivers, particularly those that use their cars in heavily trafficked urban areas. Processing systems for incoming air is an area of extensive research and development for manufacturers, including the Hyundai Motor Group, which recently announced the launch of a number of new air-conditioning technologies.
After-Blow, Multi-Air Mode and Fine Dust Indicator will initially be introduced on selected models in Korea and then expanded to upcoming Kia, Hyundai and Genesis platforms worldwide.
The After-Blow system dries the condensate on the AC system evaporator, which the company says suppresses mold growth in the air-conditioning system and prevents development of damp odors in humid climates. After a vehicle’s engine is turned off and the condensate on the evaporator drains naturally for around 30 minutes, the system activates for 10 minutes to dry the evaporator and any condensate left over in the air passages. The air-conditioning system automatically allows influx of outside air during this time to prevent humidity building up.
The system uses an intelligent battery sensor (IBS) to monitor the battery and stops the system when the battery is low, allaying any concerns about battery discharge. It also deactivates when the air-conditioning system is not in use for a certain length of time, or when the outside temperature is low.
The Multi-Air Mode uses multiple vents for air-conditioning and heating to regulate airflow around the cabin. Hyundai says that when this system is activated, air is dispersed to multiple slots in the driver’s and passenger seats in addition to the normal air vents. The result, it says, is that overall wind volume remains the same, but the dispersion of the air currents reduces direct air contact with the occupants.
Finally, the Fine Dust Indicator system measures air quality inside the vehicle in real time and delivers this information to the driver. An indicator displays the concentration and pollution level of ultrafine particles (PM 2.5) inside the vehicle using integer numbers and colors, which the company says provides better visibility to the user: blue for 0-15μg/m3 , green for 16-35μg/m3 , orange for 36-75μg/m3 and red for 76μg/m3 or higher.
If the level of ultrafine particles exceeds 36μg/m3 while the function is active, an air-cleaning mode will run automatically to purify the air in the vehicle.
