Jaguar - Land Rover wants its cars to keep their occupants in good health

Germ-killing technology found in hospitals could soon appear in cars.

Jaguar - Land Rover wants to use technology borrowed from the medical industry to build cars that help keep their occupants in good health. The company outlined how some of its future models could use ultraviolet light technology (UV-C) to kill germs, viruses, and allergens trapped inside a car.

UV-C is not new or cutting-edge; it has been around for over seven decades. In hospitals, it's used to disinfect water, filter air, and sterilize surfaces. Jaguar - Land Rover wants to use it to zap the germs living inside a car's climate control system to ensure air is clean before it makes its way past the vents. It sounds a little bit far-fetched and science fiction-esque, but it's one of the technologies the group is currently experimenting with.

While Jaguar - Land Rover hasn't revealed how soon we could see a UV-C-equipped car in one of its showrooms, it predicts demand for this kind of technology will increase when self-driving shuttles become more common. Passengers might not want to share a shuttle with three strangers at the height of a flu epidemic. However, it could also be installed in city buses, taxi cabs, and planes to stop germs from spreading in these environments.

The UV-C technology is part of a broader research initiative at Jaguar - Land Rover. The British company is seeking ways to turn its cars into a "tranquil sanctuary" where motorists can relax, regardless of whether they're driving or being driven.