Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

NHTSA: Under 18 mph, electric vehicles will need to make "alert sound"

It's been a long time coming – remember the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010? – but the proposed rules for the noises that electric or hybrid vehicles have to make at low speeds have been released (get them here in PDF). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the proposed rules today in response to some requests for the noises to be generated to alert vision-impaired pedestrians.

Most current plug-in vehicles have a sound that can be triggered by the driver to alert people, but the rules would require vehicles that don't have their liquid-burning engine running to emit a sound that will "enable pedestrians to discern vehicle presence, direction, location and operation" when traveling at speeds under 18 miles per hour. NHTSA estimates that 2,800 pedestrian injuries will be avoided because of the rule, which represents "35 equivalent lives saved."

The proposed rules affect hybrid and electric vehicles, but the agency thinks that only hybrid vehicles will really be affected with actual cost and technology, since manufacturers are already putting sounds into EVs (and upcoming hydrogen fuel cell vehicles). NHTSA thus figures that, "the incremental number of light vehicles that have to add an alert sound system for costing purposes for MY 2016 is ... 671,300." The average cost per vehicle, NHTSA says, would be around $30.

Each manufacturer will be able to choose the sounds its cars make, as long as it follows the rules. That means it needs to change based on vehicle speed and the vehicle needs to make noise when idling, too.

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/01/07...to-make-alert/

spwolf

most if not all hybrids already have this...

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Does the Tesla S have it?

ydooby

I wonder how many MPG(e)s the constant drain from having to power the external speaker will cost..

Stormwind

Why would they need that, there is already such an "alert" sound for electric cars. It's the thud those people with their eyes glued to the phone while walking makes when their head strike the bonnet thus alerting the visually imparied people of an electrics presence.

JessePS

Easy fix, just install an air horn in the car and when it goes below 18 mph. It should signal the driver to pull out the air horn and open the window and "press down".

Problem solved.

RocketGuy3

iTrader: (1)

Very few. It only takes about 1 watt to create ~89 dB of noise.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

put playing cards on the spokes

Aron9000

I was standing in the drive at work with my back turned, talking to my other coworker, when Ryan pulled around in a Prius, once again both of us had our backs turned. He snuck right up on us about 6" from where we were standing, both of us oblivous, and honked. Scared us pretty good. Just saying that if you were in the mob and wanted to sneak up to a place unnoticed or run somebody over from behind, a Prius would be your ideal vehicle.