Tech Like Follow Follow Tesla tested Model X's Bioweapon Defense Mode, and it performed admirably

One of the most surprising features of Tesla's crazy-expensive, crazy-fast electric SUV, theModel X, was a feature called the Bioweapon Defense Mode — an air filter so powerful it can, Tesla claims, save you from a biological attack.

On Monday, Tesla published a blog post detailing a test the company had performed to show how well the bioweapon defense mode works in extreme conditions.

The test was simple: a Model X was placed in a sealed plastic bubble, which was contaminated with what Tesla calls extreme levels of pollution or 1,000 µg/m3 of PM2.5. That's a very large concentration of tiny particles, 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which are particularly dangerous for human health. For comparison, WHO lists average annual PM2.5 levels at 16 µg/m3 in London and 56 µg/m3 in Beijing.

The doors of the Model X were then closed, and the air filtration system, which Tesla says is HEPA-certified, was turned on. The results are shown in the graph below — within a couple of minutes, the system improved the air quality to a level where pollution was undetectable. The system also improves the quality of the air outside the car somewhat. 

"Bioweapon Defense Mode is not a marketing statement, it is real. You can literally survive a military grade bio attack by sitting in your car," Tesla says in the post. 

It's not clear the polluted analogy applies to biowarfare agents like anthrax, which have different sized particles and may require more specialized filtration systems.

Of course, the entire test was performed by Tesla, so we'll reserve judgement until a third party performs a similar test. But it's comforting to know that, if you're rich enough to own a Tesla Model X (and soon, the Model S, which will be getting the bioweapon defense mode as well), even very high levels of pollution probably won't harm you.  

The story was updated to include a distinction between air pollution and biological warfare.