Hyundai unveils new air-con tech

Hyundai Motor Group has announced that it will begin introducing new technologies that are designed to improve air quality in vehicle cabins.

Its first new technology is called “After-Blow,” which is designed to suppress harmful and odorous mould growth in the air-conditioning system.

Allowing condensation to naturally drain from the evaporator for 30 minutes when the engine is turned off, After-Blow is then activated for 10 minutes to dry out the evaporator and remove remaining condensation from passageways.

Similar to the system fitted to some Mercedes-Benz models, fresh air is also drawn in to prevent humidity building up, resulting in an air-conditioning system that is dry and free from potential mould growth. Hyundai says that the battery is carefully monitored during its operation as to avoid excessively draining it.

Hyundai has also developed a new system called “Multi-Air Mode,” which is designed to directly improve passenger comfort. 

In Multi-Air Mode equipped vehicles, additional vents are added to the driver and passenger sides of the cabin. These vents reduce the required output at the normal vents, resulting in softer-feeling airflow while maintaining the desired air circulation volume.

Lastly, a new “Fine Dust Indicator” allows the driver to see real-time data about the quality of the air inside the vehicle. 

As dust levels increase, the colour of the readout changes; a blue display, for example, represents a good level of 0 to 15 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3). Red, on the other hand, indicates a very bad reading of above 75 μg/m3.

Should the level rise above 36 μg/m3, the circulating air-cleaning mode and air-conditioning system will activate automatically to purify the air in the vehicle. 

These new features will first be employed in upcoming models in South Korea but are earmarked for later use in other Hyundai, Kia and Genesis vehicles around the globe.