Vauxhall’s Intelli-Air technology will help drivers and passengers deal with hay fever this spring and summer by filtering out particulates and automatically improving air quality.
Hay fever season is underway and is estimated to affect up to one in five people in the UK at some point in their lives*.
Intelli-Air: Intelligent air quality management
Available on the new Astra, Intelli-Air is Vauxhall’s innovative cabin technology that combines highly effective air and particulate filters with an air quality monitoring system. It continuously controls the state of the interior air, initiating an automatic exchange when the air becomes stale.
The air quality is controlled by the position of the recirculation vent. When the exterior air quality is poor, the car’s air quality sensor (AQS) closes the vent so that no pollutants can enter the car’s interior. However, if the interior air is stale or tainted, e.g. through smoking or dust on clothing, the vent opens to supply the passengers with fresher air.
Thanks to Intelli-Air, the interior air of the new Astra remains as clean as possible. Drivers and passengers can even see this for themselves: the system informs them of the air quality via the large colour touchscreen. It displays a car-shaped emoji that is based on the international AQI (Air Quality Index). The colour of the emoji changes according to the standard of the air in the interior. The standard of the air in the passenger compartment is monitored by a Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) sensor that can detect particulates up to 2.5 micrometres in size.
The technology improves safety by reducing the chances of drivers sneezing due to pollen or particulates in the car. A car can travel up to 20 metres in urban driving conditions in the time it takes a driver to sneeze.
According to the Department for Transport, in 2021, there were 11,434 road accidents in the UK where ‘impairment or distraction’ was a contributing factor to the collision taking place**.
Doubling up: Activated carbon combination filters remove gases and odours
Intelli-Air works in combination with Vauxhall’s original particulate and activated carbon combination filters, the latter available across multiple Vauxhall models.
The filters consist of two layers and can therefore not only keep particulates at bay, but also filter out external odours and gases. Pollen is also almost entirely eliminated from entering the cabin, reducing the effects of hay fever across the Vauxhall range.
The quality of the filters meets the highest standards. The filter material is water-repellent, which prevents it from freezing in winter or becoming home to bacteria during warm spells. Despite the high filter performance, good air permeability is ensured. The filter should be changed once every 12 months to ensure clean interior air all year round. A filter management system informs the driver when an exchange is necessary.
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