Volvo air conditioners reduce risk of asthma and allergy attacks

Allergies, asthma and air pollution affect hundreds of millions of people around the world, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Allergy Organisation.

That is why the latest Volvo cars are equipped with cutting-edge air purification systems, helping people breathe cleaner air. The Advanced Air Cleaner available in the new XC90 and XC60 series models has been certified as asthma & allergy friendly by Allergy Standards, an independent certification programme that helps consumers identify products that are suitable for people with asthma and allergies.

Volvo air purifiers are said to remove up to 99.9% of grass, tree and weed pollen allergens from incoming air, and are in cars produced from the second quarter of 2022, not including all variants of the XC40.

“By helping our customers improve the air quality inside their Volvo car, we will help reduce the adverse health effects associated with air pollution, allergens and fine particulates,” said Dr Maria Bernander, occupant health effects expert at Volvo Cars.

“In addition to personal health benefits, studies have shown cleaner air can also help boost concentration, which can help you stay more focused during the drive.”

Moreover, drivers of the latest Volvo cars will be able to assess whether to purify the air in the cabin of their car with the help of live data that shows outdoor pollen and air quality levels in the car’s centre display. This in-house app makes Volvo Cars the first carmaker to provide live data of outdoor pollen levels to drivers.

Cars equipped with the company’s latest air purification technology also come with a sensor, launched globally in 2020 as a world-first feature in Volvo cars, that measures PM 2.5 levels inside the cabin and allows customers to compare those to outside levels.

Indicating the amount of fine particulate matters in the air, PM 2.5 levels are a widely used measure for air quality. Globally, many urban areas suffer from PM 2.5 levels that exceed recommended levels by the WHO, underlining the need to minimise their effects.

A synthetic, fibre-based filter and ionisation process in Volvo Cars’ Advanced Air Cleaner keep out up to 95% of all PM 2.5 particles from the cabin in XC60 and XC90 series models.

Additionally, the Advanced Air Cleaner can remove more than 97% of airborne viruses that try to enter the cabin via the air filter, and reduce existing viral levels in the vehicle by up to 95%. Results from recent tests performed by the independent Austrian research and testing institute, OFI, show that the viral filtration efficiency of its filter and ioniser makes the technology highly effective against airborne viruses.

Volvo Cars believes that clean air offers multiple benefits from a personal health and safety perspective and will continue to make further improvements in this area as it develops its cars.