Ford Police Interceptor Turns Up The Heat In the Battle Against COVID-19

• The software can be installed using diagnostic service tools.

• Will work on all 2013-019 Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles.

• Interior temperature rises to 133 degrees Fahrenheit and holds for 15 minutes.

This is a case where we would not want to be locked up in a Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicle, not that we have, on any day. With this new software solution, the vehicle will temporarily raise the cabin temperature to 133 degrees Fahrenheit (56.1 degrees Celcius in Canadian), or a temperature hotter than Death Valley, for up to 15 minutes which is long enough to help disinfect vehicle touchpoints.

This temperature was not randomly selected by Ford. Jeff Jahnes and Jesse Kwiek, laboratory supervisors at The Ohio State University department of microbiology, said: “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.”

The software is easy to install. By plugging into the OBD port, and using diagnostic service tools, the software can be quickly uploaded. Large Police departments, such as those in New York and Los Angeles, with their own service centers, can do the work themselves. Smaller fleets have only to make arrangements with their local Ford dealership.

Activating the software in 2016-19 police vehicles, is done through a smart sequence of commands that involves pressing cruise control buttons in a predefined order. For 2013-15 vehicles, this mode can be activated and carried out through an external tool that connects to the onboard diagnostics port.

“First responders are on the front lines protecting all of us. They are exposed to the virus and are in dire need of protective measures,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford chief product development and purchasing officer. “We looked at what’s in our arsenal and how we could step up to help. In this case, we’ve turned the vehicle’s powertrain and heat control systems into a virus neutralizer.”

We think this is cool. Or, really really hot…