'reverso' car accessory helps you filter out air pollution while driving

‘reverso’ car accessory filters harmful particles from the air

poor air quality is a problem that affects 90% of the world’s population and causes seven million deaths a year. with this issue in mind, fransisco lara has created ‘reverso’, an accessory that is installed on top of public and semi-public transport vehicles in cities and is responsible for filtering the airborne particles (smog). the design seeks to generate a positive impact on the health of all the inhabitants of the city, and improve their quality of life. ‘if a single module is capable of filtering 34% more of the volume of the santiago bernabeu stadium, what would it be capable of if it were installed in the 28,482 public and semi-public transport vehicles?’ lara asks.

this design has been selected for the global grad show 2021 in which 464 universities from 70 countries have participated. reverso has entered the 150 finalists, selected for their social and environmental impact out of 2,600 projects submitted. the competition is part of dubai design week and aims to raise awareness of these innovative ideas and help their creators get funding.

all images courtesy of fransisco lara

taking advantage of airflow and aerodynamics

55% of the harmful particles that are produced while driving come from the mechanical wear and tear of vehicles (tires, asphalt friction, and the use of brakes). reverso aims to address this problem, which is not being solved by electric driving or combustion. the objective is ‘to achieve a 0 or negative balance of the particles emitted by vehicles while driving, i.e., to clean as much or more than they emit’, fransisco lara explains.

reverso is a module that collects the air at the top of the vehicle and cleans it of pollution. the system benefits from the airflow generated by the silhouette of the car when driving, being integrated into the aerodynamics of the car and redirecting the air into the interior. inside, one can find the first filter, which traps the PM.10 particles, larger and leaves the PM.2.5 to the other two filters. if only small particle filters were installed, they would collapse faster and fill up with larger particles.

the venturi effect

to create reverso, fransisco lara has also thoroughly studied the venturi effect, a physical phenomenon where a fluid increases its velocity as it passes through a constriction and the pressure rises. ‘in a funnel, if air enters at 40 km/h through the wide part, it can double its speed in the narrow part,’ the creator explains. reverso has been designed using the reverse venturi effect, with the air entering through the narrower front and moving towards the center where there is a wider section and the air has less pressure and reduces the speed. ‘the experts I have consulted, explained to me that the filters have a higher efficiency the slower the air passes through,’ he adds.

reverso’s design does not require electricity and does not have to be connected to the vehicle. the idea was that it would not be very expensive to manufacture and would be simple and intuitive to use. installing it on the roof would be enough for it to start circulating and cleaning the air.

reusable filter system

reverso employs a reusable filter system that can withstand an activity of 15,000 kilometers until it is full. made of cotton, the filters can be disassembled, washed, and reused. the filter is composed of amplitex™ fabric, a material that maintains the characteristics of carbon fiber but is 33% cheaper.

driving five hours a day, at an average speed of 30 km/h, seven days a week, a car with this device can clean up to 7,300,000 cubic meters (273 kg of particles) of a city’s air per year, which is equivalent to 34% more than the volume of the santiago bernabeu stadium in madrid. lara suggests that reverso is installed onto public vehicles such as cabs, uber or carsharing fleets, since it would be easier to control the maintenance of the filters, past 15,000 km traveled. even so, the system can be used in any passenger car, as it does not require any connection. just anchor it to the roof of the vehicle, like a luggage rack.