GM China developing comprehensive vehicle air quality system

Given public concern about air pollution and growing demand for indoor air purifiers, General Motors’ engineering team in China is working on a solution.

GM China Engineering is developing an advanced filtration system for global use that utilises a combination of proven technologies. It adds three layers of protection for consumers, to filter most airborne particles, help clean the air inside the vehicle via an air ioniser, and provide drivers real-time information regarding PM 2.5 levels inside and outside the vehicle.

“The health and safety of our customers is top of mind,” said GM China HVAC Engineering manager Kevin Wang. “The new air filtration system will address their need for clean air by keeping pollution levels in the cabin significantly lower than outdoor road levels, and will do it more quickly.”

The new system aims to reduce harmful particles entering the cabin by up to 80 percent within five minutes and to make in-vehicle air up to 10 times cleaner than outside air within 10 minutes of operation.

The system using the new HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance) filter and ioniser builds on climate control systems already available in the all-new Chevrolet Cavalier and Cadillac CT6, both of which GM builds in China.

The Cavalier’s climate control system comes standard with a PM 2.5 fine particulate matter air filter that traps and filters out more than 99 percent of pollutants ranging in size from 0.3 μm to 10.0 μm.

The CT6’s Quadzone climate system offers ionising air purification that radically reduces airborne dust, pollution, bacteria and pollen from the cabin. It also eliminates odors such as tobacco smoke. In addition, the Quadzone system allows passengers to personalise the temperature and airflow for each seating position. When the system is activated, an ioniser status indicator lights up on the CT6’s climate control touch-screen.