Hyundai and Kia have unveiled an in-vehicle sanitization system that uses far-ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and viruses inside a car cabin, even while passengers are present. The technology, called Plasma Care UVC, is what the companies describe as the first system of its kind designed for production vehicles.

Conventional ultraviolet sterilization poses a risk to human skin and eyes, which is why it is typically used only in empty spaces such as airplane bathrooms between passengers. Plasma Care UVC works differently. It emits far-ultraviolet C light in the 200 to 230 nanometre range, a wavelength that cannot penetrate human skin but is lethal to bacteria and viruses, which lack the protective outer layer that shields human cells.

The companies ran three rounds of independent testing. The Korea Testing Laboratory confirmed a nearly 97 percent reduction in airborne viruses within 30 minutes in a simulated vehicle cabin, and joint research with Seoul National University found 99 percent eradication of pneumonia-causing bacteria in just 30 seconds. A final round with the Korea Automotive Technology Institute showed 99 percent elimination of E coli within 40 minutes inside an actual vehicle.

Shrinking the technology to fit inside a car was a significant engineering challenge. Far-UVC systems designed for hospitals and schools are too large and draw too much power for a vehicle application. Hyundai Motor Group’s R&D division miniaturised the plasma lamp and added an optical filter that restricts the emitted wavelengths to the safe range, while also hardening the system against vibration and temperature swings.

Beyond killing pathogens, the companies say the system also eliminates odours by destroying the organisms that cause them, rather than masking the smell. That could eventually make chemical air fresheners in cars redundant.

Plasma Care UVC is not in any production vehicle yet. Hyundai and Kia say tests are ongoing to meet international safety standards before the system reaches a factory line. The companies have not announced which models will get the technology first or when deliveries might begin.

The system does have clear limitations. UVC light only disinfects surfaces and air it can reach directly, so bacteria in shadowed areas or under seats would survive, and some pathogens can repair themselves after UV exposure. That makes Plasma Care UVC best understood as a supplement to regular cleaning rather than a replacement for it, a point Hyundai and Kia will need to communicate carefully once the feature reaches showrooms.