Hyundai Transforms One of Its Ioniq 5 EV Prototypes Into an Air Purifier

One question remains at the end of life of an electric vehicle and that is: What do you do with the battery pack? Lately, firms have been coming up with some useful solutions such as Tesla who announced that it can recycle 92% of battery cell material and the Swedish company Northvolt claiming its "Revolt" recycling program has become the first to recycle an EV battery using 100% reused materials.

However, much research and development still need to be undertaken before these processes can become economically viable and common. Now, Hyundai has come up with a new idea for recycling an electric vehicle.

In a new promo video, Hyundai's engineers take an all-electric crossover Ioniq 5 and transform it into a large air purifier. The result is a beast of an air purifier with a cylindrical housing slightly larger than the 20-inch alloy wheel that is used for the top of the device's case.

The core of the device consists of a cabin air filter and a cooling fan that is controlled through an infotainment touchscreen mounted to the housing. True to its original form, the Ioniq 5's emblem can be seen on the case, supported by the electric vehicle's pixelated LED taillamps and the digital instrument cluster readout. Finally, the side panels are made from parts of the vehicle's doors and hood.

For now, however, While the impressive air purifier does offer something to think about for end-of-life vehicle components that could provide a viable alternative to simply throwing them away, it seems to be less of a recycling solution and more of a PR stunt. It's still a great illustration of how electric vehicles are inherently cleaner though. Just as replacing gasoline vehicles with electric ones allows our planet to breathe better so do air purifiers provide a similar service.