We are now hearing reports that a Tesla employee who posted a graphic of a Model 3 interior with HEPA air filtration qualities may have been misleading. We await official confirmation from Tesla as to whether the image shared was misleading.
Tesla seems to have hinted at a massive feature being included in the Model 3 Highland, as the carmaker has finally decided to equip the mass-market sedan with a HEPA filter.
The HEPA filter was first fitted to the Model S and Model X, and then made its way to the Model Y. Tesla has promoted the HEPA filter heavily in recent years, highlighting its ability to filter out the vast majority of biohazards and particulate matter, including bacteria, viruses, pollen and mould spores.
Tesla also uses something called Bioweapon Defense Mode in the Model S, Model X, and Model Y, which goes one step further.
In a 2016 blog published by the company, Tesla said that the introduction of both a HEPA filter and Bioweapon Defense Mode filtered out pollution to “levels so low that they are undetectable by our instruments (below the noise floor), allowing us to remove our gas masks and breathe fresh air while sitting in a bubble of pollution.”
Tesla also demonstrated the effectiveness of the HEPA filter and bioweapon defence mode in a video last year:
Initially, Tesla included it on the Model S and Model X, as mentioned above. The Model Y got the HEPA filter and Bioweapon Defense mode in 2021, but only the Model 3 was left, as the automaker had not yet included it in the most affordable car in its range.
Now it seems that Tesla has indicated that it has included it in the Model 3 Highland, according to a graphic released by the company’s China division:
With the updated Model 3 Highland making its way to various markets, including Asia, the Middle East and most of Europe, it’s a positive sign to see the HEPA filter making its way to the car that put Tesla on the map as a mass-market company.
Tesla advertises that the Model 3 Highland’s HEPA filter can remove 99.97 per cent of particulate matter, which can affect the quality of the air you breathe.
CEO Elon Musk joked a few years ago that sitting in traffic with exhaust pipes flowing directly into your car’s air system is probably not the best thing for humans to breathe.
Now that the entire Tesla range appears to be fitted with the HEPA filters, the carmaker can officially boast that its cars are some of the safest on the market in terms of cabin air quality.
