Comfort Driving With Ventilated Seats

Ventilated seats are fast becoming the talk of the town. Prateek Pardeshi and Ashish Bhatia explore the pros and cons compared to regular seats.

- Prateek Pardeshi, Ashish Bhatia

 

The ergonomics of a good cabin are made or broken by the seating it houses! It is directly correlated to the driver's comfort and fatigue, especially over a distance north of 10-20 kms. There again if it's humid weather like in the coastal regions, and the upholstery is made up of rexine, we've all been fused to the driver seat at some point or the other. A common phenomenon especially in the entry to mid-level segments, getting up from the driver seat after such a drive feels like ripping off a industrial tape from the surface. Despite ventilation in the rest of the cabin, seats tend to conduct heat making it one perspiring ride. Such an uncomfortable atmosphere can distract a driver and reflect on his mood. Next time if you come across an irritable driver, give his seat the benefit of the doubt.

Clearly, the seating manufacturers are a ahead of the curve and have been working on offering the utmost comfort through technically advanced offerings. Manufacturers like Faurecia, Adient PLC, Magna International, Bharat Seats, Lear Corporation and Toyota Boshoku Corporation are juggling priority focus areas like lightweight, optimal NVH levels, and securing the passenger, they have gone beyond design, and upholstery to revisiting the seat architecture for cooler and ventilated seating surfaces that the driver comes in contact with. Inspired by the gaming chairs with their bolder design, upholstery, and unapologetic use of colour, the new generation of ventilated seats is trickling down from the premium segments.