Ford turns on the heat to combat COVID-19 in police vehicles

Now this is interesting. Ford, in conjunction with Ohio State University, has developed software to help sterilize the interiors of Ford's Police Interceptor Utilities. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has taken the World by the throat, your local police are put at risk every day during the course of their essential jobs. Whether transporting the sick to local hospitals or arresting asymptomatic lawbreakers, police officers can come in contact with the COVID-19 virus. Most departments use wipe-down sanitation but at times a wipe down may not be enough or surfaces may be missed. Ohio State determined that a constant interior temperature of 133 degrees is needed (for a period of at least 15 minutes) to neutralize 99 per cent of Coronavirus on interior surfaces. The new software heats the engine quickly and turns on the heat. Once the interior reaches the required temperature, the software maintains the heat for the required time period. The vehicles exterior lights flash when the software is activated and stop flashing when the cycle is completed. An interior cool-down cycle then completes the process. Clever. Anyone that has gotten into a vehicle that is parked in triple-digit heat can attest to this process. Your car even smells clean. Before you try this at home, remember that police vehicles have special interiors with protected electronics and heavy-duty upholstery. But if the pandemic continues for any length of time, automakers may develop similar software for your car. Until then, you can feel safe getting into a Ford Police Interceptor Utility AKA highly modified Ford Explorer. BTW: this new software has been tested by numerous police departments including New York and Los Angeles. For more info, check out the press release after the "read more" jump.

Source: Press release and pics courtesy of Ford