Tesla tests the limits of its ‘Bioweapon Defense’ air filtration

Tesla has taken steps to test the limits of its HEPA air filtration system, which was first introduced on the Model X and comes equipped with a ‘Bioweapon Defense Mode’.

The filtration system was inspired by the air filtration systems used in hospitals, clean rooms and the space industry and is designed to strip the outside air of pollen, bacteria and pollution before they enter the cabin, systematically scrubbing the air inside the cabin to eliminate any trace of these particles.

Tesla claims that the system is hundreds of times more efficient than standard automotive filters and set out to test its limits.

First it was put to the test in real-world environments from California freeways during rush hour, to smelly marshes, landfills, and cow pastures in the central valley of California, to major cities in China. These tests were designed to measure how effective the system was at capturing fine particulate matter and gaseous pollutants.

Following these real world tests, Tesla placed a Model X in a large controlled bubble contaminated with extreme levels of pollution (1,000 µg/m3 of PM2.5 vs. the EPA's "good" air quality index limit of 12 µg/m3) and activated ‘Bioweapon Defense Mode’.

According to Tesla, The HEPA filtration system took less than two minutes to reduce pollution levels inside the vehicles to undetectable levels. Additionally, the PM2.5 levels outside the vehicles also decreased by 40 per cent, meaning that the Model X is capable of cleaning the air around the car as well as inside it.

Tesla has said it will continue to improve the system, which is now also available on the latest Model S.

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