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Has U.N. Doomed Quiet Electric Cars to a Life of Noise Making?

 
3,553 views Mar 16, 2011
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Lotus Safe & Sound noisemaker

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Should electric cars make noise?  It’s one of the most contentious arguments in the electric vehicle world today, with passionate cases made on both sides for and against warning systems designed to announce the presence of a plug-in car to pedestrians. 

But early reports coming out of a recent United Nations committee on noise levels in plug-in vehicles suggest that all electric cars will soon be expected to emit warning noises at low speed. 

Back in May last year, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the American Council for the Blind and the National Federation for the Blind presented proposals to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) detailing how automakers could make electric cars more audible to pedestrians. 


Since then we’ve seen a continued debate as automakers try to make their cars more audible at low speed and electric vehicle advocates and motoring journalists ponder if creating sounds for silent EVs is an unnecessary solution for a problem which doesn’t exist. 

EU tire makers oppose tire noise regulations

EU tire makers oppose tire noise regulations

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The ensuing confusion even caused problems with vehicle roll out, with Hyundai’s 2011 Sonata Hybrid needing last-minute work to prevent its audio warning system from being turned off by the driver. 

On the other side of the Atlantic, U.K. shipments of the 2011 Nissan Leaf were similarly delayed, but this time to remove the reverse warning beeper from cars after it became apparent the use of a reverse beeper at night time would violate local laws. 

With so many mixed messages about audible low-speed warnings for electric cars we’re glad the U.N. has stepped in, but we have to admit that we know of plenty of regular gasoline cars which make very low noise at low speed and not one has to have an on-board noise maker. 

We don’t know the full details of the committee report, but can guess at the outcome: electric cars may not be all that silent for all that long.

[Monstersandcritics]





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Comments (9)

  1. JC Jacquemin Posted: 3/16/2011 2:01pm PDT

    I'm for SILENT EVs, as you wrote, they are a lot of almost silent ICE or hybrid cars and bikes have always been silent, go the Netherlands or Danemark to understand that, and how a lot of bikes are as dangerous for pedestrians as cars. But nobody has ever asked to add noise to bikes. What a silly idea.
    NPNS JC
     
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  2. fb_538140052 avatar Chad Schwitters Posted: 3/16/2011 2:17pm PDT

    If quiet vehicles are really a problem, fine, have quiet vehicles make noise. But the vehicles in question should be selected based on the noise they make, not their powertrain.
    I really like Volt's solution--a second pedestrian-friendly horn. A parking lot is the only time any car is quiet enough for this to be an issue.
     
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  3. ev enthusiast Posted: 3/16/2011 7:28pm PDT

    i have said this all along. all vehicles should have ONE STANDARD NOISE emitted. it does not have to be blaring or annoying to the driver.
    in fact, it can and should point out from the car chassis - cuz that is where we want the noise to go.
     
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  4. Bob Wilson Posted: 3/17/2011 7:56am PDT

    "it does not have to be blaring or annoying to the driver. In fact, it can and should point out from the car chassis" which means directly to the cars next to it, the houses on the street, pedestrians on side walks, and home owners in their front yard. Annoy everyone else?
    But it would help if we could find an NHTSA Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) data showing there is a risk or even a non-flawed, report that misrepresents thin data. Bob Wilson, HSV
     
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  5. ev enthusiast Posted: 3/17/2011 10:45am PDT

    well, the noise is supposed to alert others, so it would need to point outwards, so that others could hear it.
    car engines have made noise in the past. why werent you complaining about that noise annoying everyone else ?
    i was on my bike one day, and had an edison car pass me by. i did not hear a thing. it somewhat startled me to look to the side and see a car go by that i had been totally unaware of.
    they DO NOT MAKE NOISE like a gas car does.
     
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  6. ev enthusiast Posted: 3/17/2011 10:54am PDT

    and while we are at it, the same noise is required on motorcycles, instead of the HORRENDOUS AMOUNT OF NOISE that they currently make. now that is ANNOYING.
    they make more noise than hundreds of cars. most of these cycles are made to be louder than when they were originally purchased. the police do nothing about it.
     
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  7. another ev enthu. Posted: 3/17/2011 2:07pm PDT

    The problem with loud motorcycles is they are not made this loud, but rather modified by their owners to be louder. Motorcycle manufacturers are required by law to maintain decibel levels the same way cars are.
    With regards to cyclists on the road who gets startled by a car passing by you, you made a mistake by not using side mirrors. If you are on the road, you are required (at least in the US) to have mirrors, reflectors, lights and wearing florescent clothing. Unfortunately not everyone does that, I was in my "loud" car driving by a cyclist who out of no where decided to make a left turn right in front of me without looking.. (sure a stupid move from a not very bright cyclist).. but the point is there is no problem with silent cars, but the problem is going to be with drivers who won't obey the law, and pedestrians who will cross the street without looking.
     
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  8. ev enthusiast Posted: 3/17/2011 9:47pm PDT

    here are california laws
    http://www.bikelink.com/law_safety.htm
    nowhere is mentioned mirrors, reflectors, lights or fluorescent clothing (during the day).
    and at night, reflectors and lights.
    i was riding during the day time.
    i have all sorts of my own safety laws that i use that have little to do with traffic laws. in fact, i do not obey traffic laws in the actual sense. i do what is necessary to get me from a to b.
    traffic laws were designed to direct cars. and they do a good job at it. some ninkinpoop in some ivory tower, who probably never rode a bike in his life, decided to have bicyclists obey these same laws. that will get you killed real fast.
    i actually got pulled over by a cop 5 years or so ago for not stopping at a stop sign. i had a nice talk with him for a half hour, as he was truly interested in what i had to say. needless to say, he left with a much better understanding of bicyclists.
    i do agree with you (and said so) that owners modify their motorcycles to be louder. but police do nothing about it. they truly are louder than several hundred cars all together. and i suspect i am being conservative. cuz i really think that a loud motorcycle makes more noise than several thousand cars.
     
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  9. Stephen Hodges Posted: 3/22/2011 7:49am PDT

    It seems a detection system around the front of an EV to warn possible pedestrians and make a beep would deal with the issue, which is only an interim solution until everyone is used to silent cars
     
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