Pedestrian Safety
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EU pedestrian safety laws now require that electric cars sound like those with internal combustion engines at low speed.
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Nissan shares what future electric cars should sound like: the 'Canto' theme
Less than two years from now, barring action by the Trump administration, a National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration rule will require hybrid and electric cars to produce an audible noise under 19 mph. Alongside its Nissan IMx self-driving electric SUV concept it launched at the recent...
Sean Szymkowski -
Electric-car noise rules to be canceled under Trump deregulation plan?
Modern electric cars have been on U.S. roads for seven years or so, and owners love their smooth, quiet, close to noise-free operation. That silence has been a bone of contention for even longer, however, since hybrids operating purely on battery power are similarly quiet. For years, the U.S...
John Voelcker -
Feds issue mandatory-noise rule for new electric, hybrid cars
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finally issued mandatory-noise rules for so-called "quiet cars."
Stephen Edelstein -
'Quiet Car' Rules To Make Hybrids, Electric Cars Noisy Delayed, Again
Regulators will delay finalization of "quiet car" rules until next year.
Stephen Edelstein -
Quiet-Car Noise Rules For Hybrid, Electric Cars To Be Finalized This Fall
Long-delayed rules for electric cars, hybrids, and other "quiet cars" will be finalized by November.
Stephen Edelstein -
A rule requiring pedestrian-alert noises for electric cars and hybrids is delayed until 2018.
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Ford To Facebook Fans: “How Should The 2012 Focus Electric Sound?”
The days of the almost silent electric car are gone. Motivated by a severe case of liticaphobia - or the fear of lawsuits - the auto industry has already agreed that electric cars should have some form of audible warning system fitted as standard to alert pedestrians of their approach. But while...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Toyota Prius To Make Noise During Electric Running, in Japan
In another step toward making silent electric cars less so, Toyota Prius hybrids sold in Japan are to be offered with an optional system that broadcasts a "humming" noise outside the car whenever it operates solely on electricity. The system is Toyota's response to the fears of blind people that...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Tuning 2011 LEAF EV To Be Audible, Not Audacious
If the mechanical prototype TheCarConnection.com recently drove was any indication, the 2011 Nissan LEAF will be an extremely quiet vehicle, free of the motor and drivetrain whine that accompanies some other electric cars.
Bengt Halvorson -
2011 Chevrolet Volt Pedestrian Alert System Will Be Driver Controlled
Earlier this morning, we wrote about GM's announcement that engineers developing the 2011 Chevrolet Volt have partnered with the National Federation of the Blind to figure out "a safe level of sound" from the company's first extended-range electric vehicle. Our subsequent interview with Tony...
John Voelcker -
Do Hybrids Hit Pedestrians More Often? NHTSA Report May Say So
Advocates for the blind have long been pushing for hybrid and electric cars to make some kind of artificial noise at low speeds, to alert people with vision impairment of their presence when operating in all-electric mode, which is quieter. But data on whether electric-drive cars actually hit...
John Voelcker