- Ford has introduced a software patch that allows its line of police vehicles to temporarily heat the interior to to kill SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus).
- For 15 minutes, the cars can heat up the cabin to 133 degrees—hotter than the most scorching days in Death Valley.
- This reduces any viral concentration by 99 percent, according to Ford.
Amid the nationwide protests against police brutality in the U.S., the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic doesn't sleep; any interactions between police and citizens could potentially lead to virus exposure and spread. But that begs a serious question: If a protester is detained in a police vehicle that may or may not have traces of the virus, how can authorities ensure that person's right to safety?
A software development from Ford may be part of the answer. The auto manufacturer has introduced a new heat tool for its 2013 to 2019 models of Police Interceptor Utility hybrid SUVs.
It's basically a software patch that activates the vehicle's powertrain and climate control systems to temporarily heat up the cabin to a temperature in excess of 133 degrees Fahrenheit to eliminate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Heat and fan settings operate on high throughout this process, while the software monitors the inside temperature.
To figure out if this approach could actually be effective, and to find the right temperature and time duration for the heating, Ford worked in tandem with scientists from The Ohio State University.
"Our studies with Ford Motor Company indicate that exposing coronaviruses to temperatures of 56 degrees Celsius, or 132.8 degrees Fahrenheit, for 15 minutes reduces the viral concentration by greater than 99 percent on interior surfaces and materials used inside Police Interceptor Utility vehicles," Jeff Jahnes and Jesse Kwiek, laboratory supervisors at Ohio State's department of microbiology, said in a press statement.
While new research shows COVID-19 may not stand up well to heat, that work isn't definitive. An April study at the U.S. Army's high-level biosecurity laboratory at Fort Detrick, Maryland suggests increases in temperature, humidity, and sunlight can boost the rate at which the virus is killed, based on its half-life when exposed to those elements. However, the study results aren't yet peer-reviewed.
Similarly, researchers at the University of Connecticut found SARS-Cov-2 would decline with exposure to higher temperatures, humidity, and ultraviolet light. That study also hasn't been peer-reviewed yet.
Meanwhile, research posted to the preprint server BioRXiv in April contends that some strains of SARS-CoV-2 can actually survive temperatures of 140 degrees Farenheit for up to an hour. But again, other experts haven't yet peer-reviewed this claim.
In all fairness, Ford's software patch doesn't claim to kill off all strains of SARS-CoV-2, or in all concentrations—the aim is just to reduce the amount of the virus in the cruisers, which is a step in the right direction.
With the cabin so overwhelmingly hot, Ford ensured police will have a few different ways to identify the heating is in progress. Hazard lights and taillights will flash in a given pattern to notify officers the process has begun, and the lights will change at the end to signal completion. Instrument lights will also indicate progress. For safety reasons, the heating process can't take place while officers are inside.
Large police departments with their own service centers can install the software patch with their own diagnostic tools, and other units can work with local Ford dealers. But as of now, it doesn't look like civilians will have access to the same patch.