By Cecilia Nasmith

A partnership forged in Cobourg is behind the launch of a pilot program that promises to kill the novel coronavirus and other viruses and bacteria from the surfaces and the air in multi-user vehicles.

The CleanRide leverages UV-C LED technology to develop a solution to address the potential for viral cross-contamination in the workplace through a special design and light configuration that quickly kills 99.9% of viral and bacterial contaminants in both air and surface. Team Eagle Ltd. – a world leader in providing equipment and software for airfield management and maintenance – originally developed this innovation for airport transport vehicles. With the onset of COVID-19 (and the stellar track record of CleanRide), it was evident that it could be applied to any industry sector with mission-critical shared vehicles.

This brought the V13 Policetech Accelerator – a joint venture of the Cobourg Police Service and Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation with the support of FedDev Ontario's Rural Innovation Initiative - into the picture, with an offer to work collaboratively to test and validate the technology for use in essential-worker applications such as police, fire and municipal fleets.

The project partnership began in fall 2020, with interest and enthusiasm for the pilot project growing to include Cobourg Police Service, Cobourg Fire Department, Cobourg Public Works and beyond town boundaries to include the Trent Hills Fire Department.

Field testing across multiple departments and workplace scenarios brought crucial insights and validation of the core outcomes of cost savings, time savings and workplace safety – all leading to a market-ready product. As a result, Team Eagle CleanRide unit sales will be scaled through the support of Global Affairs Canada with access to new industry markets, including police, fire and municipal-market sectors.

Also during the pilot phase, the CleanRide solution was independently validated and laboratory-tested by Western University, confirming that this technology kills the novel coronavirus and other viruses and bacteria that are airborne or on surfaces. Along with this testing, a number of quantitative and qualitative measurements have been identified and refined to showcase the product's ease of use, efficacy and end-user perception.

“We cannot protect the safety of our community without maintaining the health of our members,” Cobourg's Chief of Police Paul VandeGraaf pointed out, calling the product “a safe, quick and consistent alternative to traditional cleaning.”

Quoted in the announcement, Team Eagle Commercial Sales Manager Ben McKeown recalled hearing concerns from customers regarding the use of electrostatic spray in vehicles such as corrosive damage to electrical systems and auxiliary electronics.

“And according to the World Health Organization, sprays pose a serious risk to human health while being ineffective against killing COVID-19.

“Understanding that an effective solution was required to ensure the health and safety for mission-critical vehicle operators, Team Eagle designed a safe and effective UV-C LED solution that ensures killing viruses and bacteria on surfaces but, most important, in the air for shared vehicles.”

Trent Hills Fire Chief Tim Blake said they had worked with Team Eagle on past projects and were pleased to have the opportunity to do so again by testing the product in their trucks.

“These tests determined that the CleanRide units were able to disinfect municipal fire trucks in less than six minutes,” Blake said.

“After seeing the efficiency and how safe they were in comparison to sprays, we ordered some units on the spot and continued to work with Team Eagle on best practices for use in a fire-department setting.”

“Team Eagle is always top-drawer to work with,” CFDC Executive Director Wendy Curtis stated.

“Their attention to launching innovative and quality solutions that address genuine customer challenge is a core value. We are pleased to have helped them poise for new markets through such innovative approaches and technologies.”

The Team Eagle success story demonstrates the Policetech Accelerator's mandate to provide smart-policing and community-safety solutions that are scalable while, at the same time, assisting Canadian entrepreneurs to advance more rapidly on their new-product commercialization path.