The world we live in isn’t always the most hospitable of places, with plenty of examples of extreme weather events and natural disasters.
A number of manufacturers now include features in their cars that add extra resilience to protect vehicle owners. This can range from small changes to extreme influences.
Bio defence
Inspired by the air filtration systems used in hospitals and the space industry, Tesla developed a HEPA filtration system capable of stripping the outside air of pollen, bacteria, and pollution.
The system can scrub the air inside the cabin to eliminate any trace of these particles.
Tesla demonstrated this feature on the Model X with its HEPA filtration system, bringing pollution levels from an extremely dangerous 1000 ug/m3 to levels so low they were almost undetectable.
This system means you can literally survive a military grade bio attack by sitting in your car (a hopefully less likely example), but it would also be handy if you’re caught in smoke from a bush fire.
One of Tesla’s future models, the Cyber Truck, continues the survival theme with a radical design that incorporates an ultra-hard 30x cold-rolled stainless-steel structural skin that happens to be resistant to 9mm calibre bullets.
It doesn’t stop there, either. The Cyber Truck features ultra-strong glass and polymer-layered composite able to absorb and redirect impact forces to protect the vehicle’s glass.
Car park survival
Supermarket car parks can feel more dangerous than a war zone, with unsupervised trolleys rolling about the park and people parking outside of the lines.
Thankfully, Citroen has developed the Airbump system, that is essentially the automotive equivalent of bubble wrap.
These visible minor-impact absorbent pockets sit alongside the sides of the car and spring back when pushed in.
The original C4 Cactus, that debuted this tech in 2014, had some of the most noticeable air bumps. The Airbumps on the latest generation C3 and the C4 Cactus are a lot more understated.
The Skoda Kodiaq also has an ace up its sleeve. Unlike the passive protection offered by Citroen, the Kodiaq has a protector that deploys as the door is opened. It’s mechanical and independent of the car's electrical system.
The cover moves out to protect the door edge when the door-opening angle reaches 11 degrees and automatically retracts as the door is closed.
Skoda offers other innovative features to help in extreme situations, such as umbrellas that are neatly housed in the door frames.
Night vision
Sitting in the new Peugeot 508 is a truly futuristic feeling thanks to its modern i-Cockpit, and the $3500 optional night vision package only amplifies this sensation.
This technology was originally only used in the military, but now marques such as Mercedes-Benz and Bentley have showcased several varieties of night vision, designed to help you see even further into the dark thanks to infrared technology.
You never know what you will encounter on the road ahead, and with Peugeot now offering this in the 508, it remains to be seen whether even more common, affordable manufacturers adopt this technology as an optional extra.
The night vision package uses an infrared camera system to detect obstacles, such as pedestrians and animals, in front of the vehicle for optimised driving safety.
The image is placed in your field of vision on a crisp and configurable 12.3in head-up digital instrument panel.