Honda is feeling the pressure, and that’s a good thing.
The automaker’s U.S. arm has customized 10 Odyssey minivans to transport patients for COVID-10 testing in hard-hit Detroit while protecting the health of the driver and front seat passenger.
The vehicles have a polycarbonate barrier installed behind the front seats and climate control systems reprogrammed to create a pressure imbalance between the two sections of the vehicle to help reduce the chance of virus-carrying moisture droplets reaching the front seats.
Honda had previously converted several vehicles in Japan in a similar manner and was contacted by the city of Detroit to see if it could do the same thing there. The company said volunteers at its Ohio R&D center were able to complete the project in less than two weeks.
Automobile production at Honda’s North American facilities has been suspended through at least May 8.