Tesla announced today that their "Bioweapon Defense Mode" is actually real and not just a concept.
They have developed a specialized HEPA filtration system to remove pollution, pollen, and bacteria out of the air before it enters the vehicle.
To test the capabilities of this system, they placed the Model X in a giant bubble with "extreme levels of pollution (1,000 µg/m3 of PM2.5 vs. the EPA's "good" air quality index limit of 12 µg/m3)."
Source: Tesla
Less than 2 minutes later, their system had removed so much of the pollution as to be undetectable by their instruments. The filters are replaceable and the Tesla team says they will continue to improve the chemical passivation and micro-geometry.
They also say that their system is so good that:
"...it will also clean the air outside your car, making things better for those around you."
Having an independent firm verify this would probably have achieved a less biased and more accurate result, but we'll take their word for it.
Elon Musk even gave a shout out to Larry Page this morning regarding this concept.
Filtering particulates from air makes a significant & measurable diff to health. Wd like to credit Larry Page with turning me on to this.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 2, 2016