Air quality in the vehicle interior: Nanofibre filter technology to be rolled out from autumn 2020.

Munich. Air quality is of fundamental importance for the sense of well-being inside a vehicle. The filtering of solid particles, including some microbial particles, plays a key role in this regard, alongside other factors.

Sophisticated filtration systems have been in use at the BMW Group since the early 1990s. Particulate filters were introduced across the board in 1990, followed in 1998 by combination filters which added an active carbon filter to the particulate filter. Fine particulate filters have been deployed in China since 2015 and will also be fitted in South Korea from July 2020. Customers worldwide already have the option of retrofitting a fine particulate filter. The advantage of this filter technology is that it removes not only fine airborne dust, but also soot particles and, in some cases, certain microbial particles.

The next major advance comprises a new type of interior filter employing nanofibre technology. In recent years, the BMW Group has been intensively developing this filter technology, which makes it possible to keep ultra-fine particles, certain microbial particles and allergens to a bigger extent out of the vehicle’s interior.

Regardless of the filter technology employed, BMW vehicles with the necessary specification are also equipped with exterior air quality detectors, which automatically activate air recirculation mode if the quality of the ambient air requires it. This swiftly purifies the air by allowing it to flow through the cabin repeatedly.

Nanofibre filter technology takes effectiveness to a new level, cleaning the air in the vehicle’s interior of almost all particles in under two minutes in air recirculation mode.


Air recirculation mode can be activated and deactivated manually by the driver – and not only from inside the car; BMW Connected app users can remotely select the option “Ventilate now” in preparation for an upcoming journey or afterwards, for example.
The auxiliary ventilation function is then used to purify the air in the cabin quickly and thoroughly.

The nanofibre filter technology is already set to make its debut this autumn when it will be fitted in a Rolls-Royce as standard. Starting next year this will be followed by a broad-based rollout in the BMW 7 Series and BMW 8 Series ranges as well as X5, X6 and X7 models as well as many other models.

At the same time, the technology will also be made available as a retrofit option for many models of the current portfolio. As a result, the BMW Group will soon be offering to customers an even more effective means of filtering out harmful particles from the air that enters their vehicle.