This plastic bubble is designed to protect drivers from coronavirus

Just about the entire world is wrestling, while under quarantine, with questions about how to re-start their lives and livelihoods while safeguarding themselves from being infected with the novel coronavirus. In New Zealand, one company has come up with a solution that could be useful for those who make their livings driving with others in tow.

Auckland-based RVE, an automotive leather upholsterer and exterior customizer, has created what it calls “automotive PPE” designed for business, fleet and emergency service vehicles. We reckon it would also serve Uber, Lyft and taxi drivers well, too.

One product is a simple vinyl slip-on seat cover, while the most novel is a “driver bubble” — a transparent, easy-to-clean PVC enclosure to surround the driver without having to construct a separate compartment. Jim Stanners, the company’s business development director, told Kiwi site Driven the project started out of concern about RVE’s own employees but quickly spread to a realization that it was an untapped market.

“Driver and passenger are protected, but they don’t have to wear masks and they can still talk and see each other through the screen,” Stanners said.

In China, ride-hailing drivers have taken to installing simple plastic sheets to separate themselves from riders to protect themselves from transmission, with YouTube rife with videos showing do-it-yourself solutions.

By contrast, RVE’s driver bubble attaches to the seat head-restraint so as to not interfere with airbag functions. They also feature a quick release fastener to allow the driver to exit the car quickly in an emergency. The company created prototype versions using a Ford Ranger and Hyundai iLoad van, but it says it has several versions for SUVs and vans and can design custom-size versions. The company’s website lists them at the equivalent of around $450 U.S., not including shipping.

"There is a challenge between left and right-hand drive vehicles, so we will target the most suitable first," Stanner told Autoblog in an email. "No doubt this will provide local business as well which is great in our global fight against this pandemic."

New Zealand, which has a population of about 4.9 million and benefits from its relative isolation as an island nation, has been largely spared the brunt of COVID-19, with 1,456 confirmed cases and 17 deaths as of Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker. The strict lockdown in place since late March is set to be relaxed a notch on Monday, and demand has spiked, Stanner tells Autoblog. The country has even established the goal of eliminating the coronavirus altogether.

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