System and method for automatically sanitizing publicly accessible user interfaces

A system for automatically disinfecting a fuel pump nozzle or a charging cable head for an electric vehicle charging station, the system comprising:

• an application housing associated with a fuel pump nozzle or a charging cable head configured to be removably docked in the application housing, wherein:
• the application housing comprises one or more stationary, raised structures configured such that the fuel pump nozzle or the charging cable head is accessible to a user when docked in the application housing;
• and
• use of the fuel pump nozzle or the charging cable head by a user requires the user to undock the fuel pump nozzle or the charging cable head from the application housing;
• an electrical power source;
• a liquid disinfectant reservoir;
• one or more arrays of UVC light emitting diodes residing within the one or more raised structures of the application housing and in electrical connection with the electrical power source;
• one or more arrays of electrostatic spray nozzles residing within the one or more raised structures of the application housing, the electrostatic spray nozzles being in fluid connection with the disinfectant reservoir and in electrical connection with the electrical power source and operable to generate an electrostatically charged fog of the liquid disinfectant;
• and
• an actuation sensor configured to recognize physical proximity of a user;
• wherein when the actuation sensor indicates that a user is in physical proximity to the system the one or more arrays of UVC light emitting diodes and the one or more arrays of spray nozzles are deactivated and when the actuation sensor indicates that a user is no longer in physical proximity to the system, and the fuel pump nozzle or the charging cable head for an is docked in the application housing, the one or more arrays of UVC light emitting diodes are activated in order to subject the fuel pump nozzle or the charging cable head to ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and/or the one or more arrays of the electrostatic spray nozzles are activated in order to apply an electrostatically charged fog of the liquid disinfectant to the fuel pump nozzle or the charging cable head.