A clean cabin without a cleaner: Hyundai and Kia put Far-UVC inside the Kia PV5

Plasma Care UVC uses 200–230 nm Far-UVC to disinfect cabin air and surfaces while passengers are inside — aimed at PBVs, taxis and carsharing.

Author: Nikita Novikov

12:12 25-06-2026

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Hyundai and Kia are testing a technology that may matter more to commercial EVs than yet another screen on the dashboard. Inside the Kia PV5, engineers have trialled Plasma Care UVC — a system designed to disinfect air and surfaces inside the vehicle while also tackling odours.

The bet is on Far-UVC radiation in the 200–230 nm range. Unlike conventional UV solutions, this system is said to be safe to operate even with passengers in the cabin: Hyundai and Kia rely on a plasma lamp, filtering of unwanted wavelengths and automotive-grade protection against vibration and temperature swings. A production launch has not yet been announced — after the successful trial, the companies plan further checks and will decide how to integrate the tech into future vehicles.

The most logical platform is the Kia PV5 itself. It is not a regular family minivan but an electric PBV built for taxis, shuttles, delivery, corporate fleets and special-purpose conversions. In such vehicles the cabin sees dozens of passengers a day, and cleaning between trips costs both money and time. If the system genuinely reduces bacteria, viruses and odours without taking the vehicle out of service, the fleet owner gets not a flashy option but real savings on downtime and upkeep.

Rivals so far take a simpler approach to cabin hygiene: filters, ionisers, post-shift ozone treatment, manual cleaning. But that is not the same as an always-on system built into the car. For robotaxis, carsharing and airport shuttles, such a feature could become part of the trust equation — it is easier to step into a vehicle where hygiene does not depend on the previous passenger.

The risks are clear too. Hyundai and Kia will have to prove not marketing-grade «sterility» but actual safety, lamp service life, the absence of harmful side effects and real-world performance in a dirty cabin, not just in a lab. Then there is price: if the option turns out expensive, private buyers will ignore it and commercial clients will run payback calculations.

The PV5 hints at where work-focused EVs are heading. What matters now is not just range, but how many trips a vehicle can handle in a day without extra pauses.