In the midst of the wildfires in Canada, some Tesla drivers are relying on the “Bioweapon Defense Mode” that comes with certain models and serves as an additional air pressure buffer on top of the models' normal HEPA filtration.
Elon Musk has been anything but silent when it comes to his plans for Tesla and home HVAC and his admiration for heat pump technology. Inspired by the air filtration systems used in hospitals, clean rooms, and the space industry, Tesla developed its own in-vehicle HEPA filtration system that was first incorporated in Model Y, then Model 3, and since then has been most recently introduced in the refreshed Model S and X. In fact, all new Tesla electric vehicles, as a standard, come with a heat pump.
Musk has repeatedly stated his intention to model a home HVAC system after Tesla’s current vehicle HVAC offerings. So, putting this information in the context of increasing wildfires and decreased air quality, can future users of a Tesla home HVAC system expect the same bioweapon mode as an option for their homes?
Reliance
Tesla made the decision to add intense air filtration to some of its models years ago, and now as it protects drivers from unhealthy air quality plaguing many parts of North America, its importance and usefulness are in the forefront of many drivers’ minds. Some users even took to social media to post videos and photos of the mode in use amid hazy and smoky conditions, while others chimed in saying they found the mode useful during the fires in California.
Tesla is very confident in this bioweapon mode, going as far to say, “You can literally survive a military grade bio attack by sitting in your car.” To prove it, they posted a chart of their data.
According to the Tesla team, this HEPA filtration system is capable of stripping the outside air of pollen, bacteria, and pollution before passengers even enter the cabin, while systematically scrubbing the air inside the cabin to eliminate any trace of these particles.
“Tesla's bioweapon mode acts as an air pressure buffer on top of the usual HEPA filtration, similar to the positive ventilation used in surgical facilities to keep any pollutants out,” writes Graham Rapier, transportation editor at Insider.
Demonstrating
Tesla put out a demonstration video (below) in which thermal system engineers use red smoke, representing polluted air, to visually document how a Tesla HEPA filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode keep cabin air clean. In the video, two vehicles were placed inside a bubble in which the environment was created: one a Tesla model with its standard HEPA filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode, and the other a non-Tesla vehicle without a HEPA filter or defense mode of any kind.
The video shows the red smoke going through Tesla’s HEPA filter with Bioweapon Defense Mode activated and, as a result, the particles of smoke staying out of the cabin, keeping the air clean as the hostile environment around it ensues. The other cabin without the HEPA filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode filled with smoke.
Upon removing the filter from the vehicle, dust on the inlet side of the filter is immediately visible; on the back side, there’s nothing. The carbon filter was red from capturing the red smoke from the hostile environment they created for the demonstration, as well as the HEPA filter itself. This shows how the system captured the dust and particles so they didn’t enter the cabin.
The Tesla’s HEPA filtration system is already active whenever climate cooling is pulling in outside air, and the Bioweapon Defense Mode serves as a sort of backup to positively pressurize the cabin when needed. Pollutants are prevented from leaking in, since all air is filtered through the HEPA and gas media filters.
The HEPA filter is 99.97% effective or better against particles of any size. At the end of the video, the cabin with the HEPA filter in the demonstration video had no particulate matter in the cabin at the end of it, while the other vehicle was full of it.
The HVAC industry has seen similar innovations in some of its products — specifically in smart home systems that have an option to introduce fresh air into a room in times of heavy indoor air pollution, like crowds or even cooking/cleaning. Musk has said that a “really kick-ass home HVAC” system is already on the future products list, and bringing Bioweapon Defense Mode to American homes would certainly fit that description — even if (fingers crossed) the defense ends up largely used against pollen, smoke, and other common allergens.
