Why you shouldn’t overlook the cabin air filter
Determined to keep cabin air filters on the agenda, UFI shares the properties of its technologies for both ICE and EV passengers – designed to deliver cleaner air.
Among all the filters vehicles are equipped with, UFI believes the cabin air filter often ends up being overlooked. This is wrong because mechanical efficiency of the vehicle depends on it, but, more importantly, the health of the vehicle’s inhabitants too.
Its function is to improve the quality of the air that occupants breathe, removing dust, pollutants, pollen, allergens, bacteria and mould.
Which filter to use, however, is not straightforward; the trade offers many different types. Companies that develop filter products – UFI has done so for over 50 years – have gained experience that, arguably, gives them an edge; UFI is an OE supplier, one that boasts research and development facilities, not to mention innovation centres, that have allowed it to develop six types of “high-performance filter media”, known as FormulaUFI.
One of these filter media is used to produce ARGENTIUM, a filter with a powerful antibacterial function. Produced with innovative FormulaUFI.Stratiflex technology, which involves a combination of three layers – antimicrobial, adsorbent and structural – ARGENTIUM is made with a non-woven filter media containing Biomaster silver biocide, which is silver particles with a powerful antimicrobial action that are capable of inhibiting bacterial growth by up to 99%.
UFI claims this combination not only blocks pollen, dust – including that from tyre wear and brakes – and road dirt, but also prevents the growth of fungi, mould and block substances, like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
ARGENTIUM also includes activated carbon, which gives a filtration efficiency of over 98.5% for particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns. This eliminates harmful gases and unpleasant odours. UFI reports that this is also effective against microbial growth throughout its life cycle of up to 12 months.
HEPA filters for EVs
UFI is ready to produce high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters – currently destined for OE of BEVs and will be available to the aftermarket soon.
UFI says its HEPA cabin filters have an efficiency of 99.975% for particles smaller than 0.3 microns: one thousand times smaller than the diameter of a hair. This means the filters trap atmospheric particulates and fine dust particles, as well as most bio-contaminants in the air
