2020 Honda Talon 1000X test drive
Honda is racing into the sport side-by-side segment with the Talon 1000X. Fox News Autos editor Gary Gastelu hits the dirt to see how it handles the rough stuff.
Honda is ready to clear the air ... of viruses.
(Honda)
The automaker has developed a cabin air filter attachment that it said can trap and potentially destroy 98.8 percent of airborne virus particles during a 15-minute climate control system cycle, testing it with E.coli phage.
The device was treated with zinc phosphate and designed to fit over the standard air filter. Its effectiveness has yet to be directly evaluated against a coronavirus, but it has the potential to work against a variety of viruses.
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It lasts for over 9,000 miles before needing to be replaced, which is just short of the recommended time between typical air filter replacements.
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Honda has named it the Kurumask, which is a combination of the Japanese word for car, Kuruma, and mask.
(Honda)
Unfortunately, it's currently only compatible with the Honda N-One microcompact that's sold in Japan, but Honda plans to introduce versions for other models.
This story has been updated with clarification from Honda that the Kurumask has not yet been tested with coronavirus, which it never officially claimed.