Webasto North America announced the introduction of its HFT 300 and HFT 600 high-efficiency air cleaners. The lightweight, compact, cylindrical units use medical-grade HEPA-14 filtration media. Owners can install them almost anywhere inside vehicles and in other confined spaces where people may share interior air.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it an increased awareness of human respiration and its role in the transmission of disease. The enclosed environments of vehicles used to transport people now pose a health risk to operators and passengers alike. Emergency personnel in ambulances, commuters using public transportation, children riding on school buses, work crews in transit to jobsites, and their respective drivers all face an elevated risk of infection simply by breathing in close physical proximity to one another.
Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) face a greater hazard due to exposure to viruses and bacteria patients emit during ambulance-based treatment. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) all recommend HEPA-14 filtration and 60 air-changes-per-hour for infection control in ambulances.
PERFECT FOR FLEETS
Until now, HEPA-14 filtration systems have been large and unwieldy. There were also no retrofit units on the market that would universally fit ambulances, transit vehicles, and crewed work trucks. Webasto’s air cleaners feature high-velocity, twin-axial fan motors. This offers rapid air exchange rates that meet or exceed WHO, CDC, and ECDC guidelines for ambulances. The HFT 300 delivers up to 5 cubic meters of purified air per minute or 300 cubic meters per hour. The HFT 600 can clean up to 10 cubic meters of air per minute or 600 cubic meters per hour.
“Webasto’s HFT 300 and HFT 600 high-efficiency air cleaners provide fleet operators with a practical, immediate, and reliable solution for vehicles in service and on the road today,” says Matt Wheeler, head of HVAC Light and Medium Duty for Webasto North America. “Our HFT units don’t impact a vehicle’s existing HVAC system and can complement other pathogen mitigation systems that come up short in meeting CDC, WHO, and ECDC air-change recommendations. Their compact size, quiet operation, robust design, and ease of installation enables them to be rapidly deployed, providing prophylactic air purification protection for large populations of vehicles—today.”
HOW IT WORKS
With HEPA-14 filters, the HFT 300 and HFT 600 remove 99.995% of particles equal to or greater than 0.3 microns. An intake port is located on one end of the unit; it releases decontaminated air in all directions around its circumference. Each unit’s filter monitoring feature senses when its filter needs to be changed. An LED light alerts users when it’s time for maintenance. Expect most filters to last between six to 12 months.
Filter changes are fast, simple, and safe; and a filter-handling tool provided with each replacement filter helps isolate and contain contaminants during filter replacement and disposal. Both HFT 300
and HFT 600 systems use commercially available, cylindrical H14 filters. Their rugged design, leak-free operation, and two-part seal make the HFT models suitable for a wide variety of applications.
Webasto designed the HFT 300 and HFT 600 high-efficiency air cleaners with integrated mounting brackets and for ease of retrofitting. Both models are compatible with 12- and 24-volt electrical systems and optional wire harness kits. The kits include mating connectors, fuse, and fuse holder, and ring terminals.
“Our HEPA-14 air cleaners provide the medical-grade atmospheric filtration that is universally accepted as a key to eliminating pathogens from interior environments,” Wheeler says. “And although they can’t replace appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing in the fight against the coronavirus and other infectious agents, they can provide a vital means of risk reduction in the battle.
Find out more, visit www.webasto-group.com.
