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Nobody tin can liven upward a slow news twenty-four hour period like Elon Musk. At this calendar week's rollout of the Tesla Model X SUV, the Tesla CEO noted that the new SUV will have a "biohazard button" as office of the climate control system. In plain English, the motel air filters are so proficient they can filter out germs as well every bit pollen, diesel soot, and other everyday hazards in big cities. This is 1 more than instance of Musk and Tesla having fun with the machine business run elsewhere by all-likewise-serious people trying to distinguish their companies' cars.

"This is a existent button … a bioweapon defense mode [button]," Musk said. He says it'due south 10 times the size of a typical motel air filter and (Tesla says, but who'southward going to do the guinea pig testing?) 300x amend at filtering bacteria, 500x better than filtering allergens, 700x better at filtering smog, and 800x amend at filtering airborne viruses. Musk did not say how much better the car is at filtering software viruses.

Tesla_X_seats_tan

Not but the CEO. Too the Chief Soundbite Officer

"We're trying to be a leader in apocalyptic defense force scenarios,"Musk said. "[The protection is] on the levels of a hospital room," which sounds good, but hospitals really are one of the all-time places to go to cure one problem and come back with a roaring infection.

Tesla, remember is also the company that had an Insane mode for acceleration, supplanted now by a Ludicrous mode, all the improve to annoy the safety nannies. In a tribute to Spinal Tap, the sound arrangement goes to 11.

Tesla x biohazard button

What do the others practise?

As with virtually other cars, Tesla has a fresh air button (left on the image higher up) and recirculated air for times when there's high levels of pollution. In Europe information technology's useful when you're behind a smelly diesel double-decker. Or a Volkswagen <rimshot>. The Tesla-exclusive 3rd option is marked biohazard and, we suspect, means Tesla invokes a higher level of pollutant filtering.

Tesla'due south 300x, 500x, etcetera claims may be in comparison to mainstream air filters on mainstream cars. Higher-cease cars already offer filters that remove a significant amount of pollutants. There may be filters both for incoming fresh air and higher-filtration filters for recirculated air. Oftentimes, each filter set is a pair, one each for driver and rider. A pair can run $50 and up for a high-end car, or more than $100 installed by the dealer for a task little more complex than irresolute a furnace filter (unsnap cover plate, remove old filter, insert new filter, replace comprehend plate).

Mercedes-fragance

You lot can save a lot of coin buying air filters from an car parts store instead of the dealer, but make sure you're comparing apples to apples: a uncomplicated filter may be pleated newspaper, where a serious filter may incorporate activated charcoal and blistering soda.

To improve the cabin air aroma, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and others offering cockpit perfumes in a choice of woodsy, seashore and other fragrances. The cost: upwardly to $100 per bottle. They practice work, and when the car costs $75,000 and up, what'south $100 to make the motorcar odor nice? Or did you think you tin still impress women driving a machine with a Playboy air freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror?