SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A Seminole County Sheriff’s Office vehicle was used in Ford’s trial run to neutralize COVID-19, according to a news release from the company.
Ford said the company designed a new heated software to help law enforcement agencies around the country.
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The car company said the software bakes the vehicle’s interior until the viruses are no longer inside, this helps sanitize hard to reach spots.
The software takes an interior temperature beyond 133 degrees for 15 minutes, according to Ford.
“Our studies with Ford Motor Company indicate that exposing coronaviruses to temperatures of 56 degrees Celsius, or 132.8 degrees Fahrenheit, for 15 minutes reduces the viral concentration by greater than 99 percent on interior surfaces and materials used inside Police Interceptor Utility vehicles,” said Jeff Jahnes and Jesse Kwiek, laboratory supervisors at The Ohio State University department of microbiology.
Ford said law enforcement agencies will have multiple ways to monitor the sanitization progress.
The car company said crews conducted trial runs in vehicles owned by:
- New York City Police
- Los Angeles Police
- Michigan State Police
- Massachusetts State Police
- Boardman Township Police
- Seminole County Sheriff’s Office