Air quality and the new Volvo XC90

Carmakers these days are coming up with technologies that keeps the cabin air quality better than that on the outside of the car. It’s a vital feature these days in major polluted cities. Air pollution levels in Delhi is at an all time high and even the WHO has assessed Delhi to be the most polluted city among 1600 cities surveyed around the world. So how does a carmaker contribute to cleaning up the air, and if not for the entire city, at least for the car’s occupants? Volvo has the answer to that with the Volvo XC90.

The new XC90 is equipped with a improved version of Volvo’s CleanZone technology. With the help of larger filters and sensors that control air circulation inside the car, the XC90 can filter out finest of dust particles. Without the filter, Volvo says that the pollution levels inside the car would be 70 percent higher. The filter has a larger surface area that intercepts more particulates and pollen and also has a layer of active charcoal to filter out contaminants.  

Andreas Andersson, Volvo Cars air quality expert went on to say that all future products in the Volvo range will let you breathe cleaner air, despite hazardous conditions in the city. Also present at the occasion were experts from the field – Dr Radha Goyal, Head of R&D division, India Pollution Control Association and Dr Gita Gangadharan, ENT surgeon at Max Super Specialty Hospital.

Dr Goyal said, “The significant sources of air pollution in Delhi NCR are seems to be vehicular exhausts, construction activities, resuspension of dust and biomass burning.  Delhi is also known as India's Asthma capital. As per an estimate, 80 million deaths per year in Delhi are due to air pollution. The specific mitigation measures that can be used are 'water spraying' on roads and footpaths particularly in vulnerable areas to dust, artificial grass on public footpaths to avoid resuspension of dust, strict follow of regulations at traffic interactions and heavy traffic roads, thick green belt at the periphery of the city and other vulnerable places and encouraging people to use more and more public transport systems.”

Dr Gangadharan added, “Pollutants damage health is a very well known fact. Air pollutants directly invade the respiratory system, due to easy accessibility, causing myriad symptoms in the nose, throat, larynx and lungs. Further, the lung is a primary point of entry into the body for a number of toxic agents that affect other organ systems. Early assessment is important because removal of the patient from harmful exposure is often the only intervention that might prevent further deterioration or lead to improvement in a patient’s condition.”