Uber and Lyft vehicles are often germy, but this device wants to keep them clean
A company called Yanfeng has created an ultraviolet sanitizer for ride-sharing vehicles.
Keeping things clean with the power of UV.
Often, we hail an Uber or Lyft and simply climb into the backseat with few questions asked. Unless it looks pretty grungy, we might not think about how clean the car is. But the fact is dozens, if not hundreds of people sit in the same backseat every single day.
Germs abound. Now, a company by the name of Yanfeng has a solution. Earlier this month, the company debuted what it calls the Wellness Pod. It attaches to the overhead console and claims to kill 99.9% of germs in the vehicle.
There's a simple touch interface to turn on the device and it also supports smartphone integration. It cleans the air with invisible ultraviolet rays, and can also disperse aromas to keep the car smelling fresh. In testing, the UV air sanitizer and surface sanitizer reduced present bacteria by 99.9% and indirect surfaces that didn't have total contact with the UV rays showed a 95% reduction, the company says.
When there isn't enough time to run a full cleaning schedule (that involves recirculating the air via the HVAC system), there's a quick-clean function for in-between rides. Sensors seek out areas the previous passenger touched and the UV rays get to work scrubbing away bacteria and viruses. After a day of driving, a full clean takes about 30 minutes, per the company, and the car needs to be empty, too.
Fragrances come in replaceable cartridges, and initially the Wellness Pod will offer four scents. Interestingly, Yanfeng claims several of the scents will also possess the ability to mitigate motion sickness in the car.
There's no word on pricing or availability yet, but cleaner cars can't come quickly enough.
