Kia Sonet’s Segment-leading Air Purifier System Explained

In the past few years, the automotive market has witnessed a significant change regarding the customers’ preference. It is no longer fine for car manufacturers to be penny-pinching and focus solely on practicality. Customers now pay more attention to the comfort and convenience aspects of the car and are willing to pay more to get better-equipped interior. With regards to the current pandemic situation, the air quality and health protection are now the top priorities for every single person on earth. Within the automotive industry, the car manufacturers have also adjusted their manufacturing strategy to match with people’s demand and address their concerns by providing better air control system.

Kia Sonet Interior Review 

Kia is among the latest car manufacturers to enter the Indian market. Within a short time, the South Korean car brand has earned a good reputation for its range of well-equipped and high-quality vehicles.  Moreover, Kia is also proved to be highly sensitive and responsive to customers' demand. In response to people’s increasing concern for air quality, Kia has introduced an air purifier system for Kia Sonet which was launched September 18. At this point, there are a couple of models in the market that are fitted with air purifier function. However, on the Sonet, Kia has adopted a two-stage air purifying system while most cars only offer a bare basic one.

How does Kia Sonet Air Purifier work?

Kia has designated a spot for the air purifier display on the back of the front centre armrest, allowing the rear passengers to adjust the system. The front occupants can control the air purifier system via the infotainment touchscreen system. The UVO connectivity system also allows car users to remotely control the system via their smartphones. The air purifier comes with four options for different speed settings.  

Kia Sonet comes with an advanced air purifier system 

During the first stage, the particles are filtered out by the HEPA filter. After passing the first gate, the air will transfer through the UV-C rays which will wipe out the virus and bacteria by up to 99 per cent. In the following, we will get into the details of how each part and stage of the air purifier system work.

N29 HEPA (H13) Filter

HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) is the standard applied for air filters. As per the HEPA standard, an air purifier must reach a certain level of efficiency: It should filter out at least 99.95 per cent to 99.97 per cent of particles with under-0.3 μm diameter. For particles whose diameters are greater than 0.3 μm, the bar is even higher.

As to remove the particles from the air, the HEPA filters are made of randomly arranged fibres whose diameters must range from 0.5 to 2.0 micrometres. In the case of Kia Sonet, the HEPA filter’s fibres are made by applying the nano ionic bonding technology of copper sulphide. It is proved that copper can effectively remove the virus and bacteria. Moreover, It is harmless to human health and recyclable, making it a perfect material for antivirus and anti-bacterial tools like HEPA filters. After passing through the HEPA filter, the air is now basically free from particles, bacteria, and viruses. In most vehicles in the market, the air purifying process will be completed at this stage. However, for Kia Sonet, as mentioned above, the air will have to undergo the second stage of purifying.

UVC (Ultraviolet-C) LED

On the second stage, Kia utilizes the ultraviolet light technology which can be used to eliminate bacteria and viruses. This technology is applied to water purifier devices as well. In Kia Sonet, the airflow will pass through the UV light whose wavelength ranges between 260-290 nm. This wavelength is considered the safest across the UVC range.

At the end of the two-stage process, the Kia Sonet air purifier is claimed to remove 95 per cent of the dust and it only takes 25 minutes to complete. Other contaminants including PM 2.5 and PM 10, Formaldehyde, Nicotine, Benzene, and Staphylococcus are also eliminated by the air purifier.

Moreover, since Kia Sonet uses the ultraviolet light technology, it will not require an extra step of cleaning and maintaining apart from replacing the HEPA filter after every 500 hours in use.

Cabin Air Fragrance

Apart from keeping the dust and particles away from the interior cabin, the air purifier also features the air fragrance diffusing function which can infuse the car perfume across the cabin room. Normally, in-built perfume diffusers like this are available on luxury cars only. In the mass market, car users might have to seek replacements elsewhere.

Kia Sonet offers three fragrance options, including Ocean, Lavender and Forest. Moreover, you won’t have to worry if the fragrance smell is too strong as the air purifier system allows users to adjust between 4 levels of intensity. The high-quality air fragrance is approved by FDA, promising to offer a pleasant atmosphere inside the car.