How the Auto Industry is Fighting CV19 with High-tech
FCA and other auto companies are using innovative tech and out-of-the-box solutions to help curb pandemic with safer vehicles and other important machinery.
It’s no secret that the Covid-19 global pandemic has caused each one of us to reassess and rethink our everyday lives. Of course, this also extends to businesses and major corporations, including car manufacturers. And fortunately, global headlines recently reported promising stories of how everyday folks and businesses have learned to turn tragedy into positivity, in essence turning lemons into the proverbial lemonade. A few examples, as recently reported by Ford Truck Enthusiasts, include Ford’s recent announcement that its Police Interceptor Utility vehicles can now be equipped with revolutionary new smart vehicle technology to combat viruses and help law enforcement work to reduce the footprint of the Covid-19 virus.
And, of course, Jeep/FCA was one of the first carmakers to restructure its production back in March so the company could help those at the front line of the coronavirus pandemic by manufacturing and donating over 1 million protective face masks per month with initial distribution across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The face masks are being donated by FCA to police, EMTs, firefighters, and workers in hospitals and clinics. This action is part of a multifaceted global program developed by FCA to apply manufacturing, supply chain, and engineering expertise to support the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
‘Many automotive dealerships, part stores, and installers have closed during the pandemic, which could put the industry in a major recession, so we made products to combat this directly.’
“Protecting our first responders and health care workers has never been more important,” says FCA CEO Mike Manley. “We’ve marshaled the resources of the FCA Group to focus immediately on installing production capacity for making masks and supporting those most in need on the front line of this pandemic.”
This news from FCA is, of course, a very encouraging sign of the times and is a strong indicator of how we as a planet are actively working together to combat and eradicate the coronavirus and return to a normal lifestyle that we knew before January 2020. Even better, these promising advances are happening not only with big corporations and automakers but also with the smaller guys.
Seeing the Light: Harnessing Coronavirus-fighting Technology
While recent news headlines deliver stories about how small businesses across the nation are fighting to stay afloat during the global economic downturn, there are some smaller businesses that have also had to learn to think outside of the box to create ways to continue to strive in these challenging economic times. Although they may not yet be as large as FCA or Ford, one of those smaller businesses that is just as progressive in its thought pattern of tackling a situation is Quake LED.
The Englewood, Colorado-based company recently teamed with Denver-based UVC Light Labs so they can combine their strengths to offer quality practical products that also work to eradicate viruses.
The newly announced strategic partnership between the two Colorado companies is aimed at getting its coronavirus-fighting technology into wider use in the automotive industry by leveraging the distribution network that Quake LED has created over the years.
“This is old, proven technology that has been around for a while and just needed to be reformed into applications for other industries,” says UVC Light Labs V.P. Todd Gavin about the commonly used sterilization technology that has been shown to inactivate a wide range of pathogens, including MRSA, C. diff, E. Coli, SARS, Pseudomonas, and most recently Covid-19. “It was good to work with the Quake Team as they were weren’t afraid to take risks.”
‘Without much time, we just started using existing recourse and molds to create UVC Lights that would work in many locations around the automotive industry.’
UVC Light Labs and longtime JK Forum sponsor Quake LED have developed UVC LED Flood/Area lights (pictured below, left) and LED UVC Light Wands (pictured below, right) that will reportedly sanitize virtually any surface. The rechargeable wands and area lights emit UVC light and scan surfaces that need to be cleaned, killing any bacteria or pathogens that could infect people that come into contact with them.
“Many automotive dealerships, part stores, and installers have closed during the pandemic, which could put the industry in a major recession, so we made products to combat this directly,” says Jason Desmarais, a key developer at Quake LED. “Without much time, we just started using existing recourse and molds to create UVC Lights that would work in many locations around the automotive industry.”
Although the first products are not necessarily auto parts or products, they are suggested for use in home garages and vehicles, with the product description for the LED UVC Light Wand mentioning that you can “disinfect your car, desk, kids’ favorite toys, shower at the gym…the list goes on.”
“We decided early on that we’re going to stay in the office to work it out until it was done,” says Kelly Flynn, Quake LED’s president about working through the challenging past couple of weeks to secure the partnership and begin the process of utilizing the sterilization technology in practical ways in upcoming products. “We will continue to work around the clock to develop and design new products that can help save lives as we have done throughout this pandemic.”
Photos: FCA/Jeep; Quake LED
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