What is HEPA?

Social distancing and surface disinfection are not enough to protect an interior enclosed space. The risk of infection by airborne particlesis high if such space is not ventilated. Specifically, without filtration, the air in a car interior can be up to 4 times more polluted than the external air. It is paramount to focus on air quality to reduce the risk of infection.

To do this, HEPA filters offer the best quality filtration of airborne particles on the market today. Our brand new CabinHepa+ car interior filter is now equipped with it. This media entails a much more effective filtration for all vehicle occupants and provides greater protection for people at risk, such as asthmatics and allergy sufferers.

HEPA filter definition

HEPA technology mechanically filters and sieves small particles at a much higher rate than any conventional filter. The HEPA acronym stands for “High Efficiency Particulate Air“ and refers to filters manufactured to highly specific requirements according to the IEST-RP-CC007.1 test.

The bacteria and virus capture efficiency rate of these HEPA filters exceeds 99.9%, thus guaranteeing healthy, purified air.

How do HEPA filters work?

HEPA filters work thanks to a fine mesh that traps harmful particles. The flow of particles larger than 0.3 microns (pollen, debris, animal dander,...) is trapped because either the particles do not pass through the cavities or they collide with the filter fibres due to inertia.

For smaller particles, on the other hand, it may seem logical that they could simply pass through these cavities. However, this is not the case, as the mass of these particles is tiny little (less than 0.3 microns), which makes it impossible for them to fly in a straight line. Instead, they bounce off other molecules when they collide, thus moving in completely random patterns. As a result, they also collide with the filter fibres and get stuck in there. 

How effective are HEPA filters?

HEPA technology is most often used in air purifiers, hoover filters and also in medical and pharmaceutical environments, clean rooms or even in the aerospace industry, where it is imperative that the air is purified and disinfected of any harmful particles.

Bacteria and viruses do not float in the air on their own. They are airborne along with other particles such as dust or airborne droplets like spittle. Therefore, the filter is capable of capturing these particles, being the size of bacteria or viruses.To give you an idea, the size of a virus is around 0.03 to 0.5 microns and a bacterium 0.3 microns to 0.7 microns.HEPA filters are able to retain up to 99.97% of 0.3 micron particles and 99.95% of 0.1 micron particles, which is unprecedented in Europe!

People prone to recurring allergies because of dust in the air or asthmatics because of pollen will feel its positive effects very quickly inside the vehicle.

Why should we use HEPA rather than another conventional filter?

Filters using HEPA media offer the best protection against particles that are harmful to health. They are capable of filtering out viruses, bacteria, fine particles and allergens, which makes them very effective at cleaning the air breathed in an enclosed space.  

If you are allergic or asthmatic, or if one of the passengers in your vehicle is sensitive to airborne particles, you need to choose a very high-efficiency filter like our CabinHepa+ filter.  A simple conventional filter will not be as effective. Remember that the car interior is a poorly ventilated enclosed space that encourages the accumulation of pollutants.

Keeping clean, purified air in your vehicle is the first step to better health.