Korean automaker Hyundai has recently released a video showcasing what happens to an Ioniq 5 prototype after it has fulfilled its testing purposes. Rather than refurbishing it, parts of the vehicle are recycled and rebuilt into something different entirely: an air purifier.
More often than not, car prototypes are scrapped after their test runs have ended. This is due to the fact that they lack all of the bells and whistles that make up the finalised version of their respective models. Also not forgetting that they are actually not road legal, so unless you have the ability to pull some strings, these prototypes cannot be registered nor sold to anyone.
Hyundai says this particular Ioniq 5 prototype, which was built on 10 December 2021, was used for various safety tests over the course of a year. According to the video’s description, these include Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System, as well as pass-by noise and wind tunnel noise regulations. All of its components are completely functional, so it makes sense that the automaker would rather recycle its parts rather than scrapping them altogether.
As shown in the video, the car is entirely stripped apart by Hyundai engineers, where several of its parts are then used to build the air purifier. These include the prototype vehicle’s own built-in air purification unit which is used as the main component, while other parts such as the cooling fan, door panels, LED tail lamp and infotainment unit make up the rest of the device.
Aptly enough, this falls in nicely with Hyundai’s sustainability efforts with the Ioniq 5, where the car itself already features an interior made from recycled materials. According to the company, these include recycled PET bottles materials, 100% recyclable paperette for the detailings on its doors, environmentally friendly twisted wool blend fabric, as well as plant-based dyes and paints.
Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that we will be seeing this air purifier sold on store shelves. But hey, at least you now know that you could turn your Ioniq 5 into one if you no longer wish to use it to drive you around. Although, you would definitely need the help from Hyundai engineers in order to achieve this.
(Source: Hyundai [1] [2])
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