Webasto was the first company in Germany to be affected by the coronavirus. We responded quickly and valiantly and were able to contain the outbreak. We are happy to report that all employees who fell ill have now recovered. The coronavirus has impacted us all, but we are
all now doing our bit to stop the virus from spreading. And we are supporting the people who are vitally important to the population in the process.

The people who are always the first on the scene when we need help: our emergency service staff. We want to protect the people who protect us. After all, if emergency service staff become infected and have to self-isolate, who will be there to step in and help? There is no backup for the emergency services. So we set out to find a way to effectively minimise the risk of infection for doctors, paramedics and ambulance drivers. And for their patients, of course.

Webasto is filtering out COVID-19

COVID-19 is primarily transmitted via the air. So we made it our aim to clear the air of viruses and bacteria in ambulances. Even if a patient is infected with COVID-19, the air in the ambulance needs to stay clean. Our solution: the Webasto air filtration system, a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter that eliminates 99.995% of all contaminants in the driver’s cab and passenger compartment. This is based on a particle size of 0.1 micrometres, just like SARS/COVID-19 virus particles. There are two main properties that the filter uses to reduce the viral load in the air inside ambulances. The first one is the very high air flow rate (for 10 m³ fresh air per minute), which enables very fast and thorough filtration. And the second one is the extremely high filtration level. This also reduces the amount of cleaning required in the passenger compartment, which allows ambulances to be operational soon after each use.

The reliable way to filter out COVID-19

The H14 filter is ultra-compact, lightweight and easy to install in existing ambulances.  The system is also suitable for buses and all other types of public transport, for example trams, underground trains or shuttle buses. In other words, people can breathe easily with Webasto air filtration systems, even in the age of COVID-19. We hope our solution helps to curb the rate of infection further and make work easier for our emergency services.
Take that, COVID-19!