UN Mulls Noisier Hybrid, Electric Cars as Safety Measure

A U.S. Department of Transportation study found that the rate of accidents involving hybrid electric vehicles was twice as high as normal
cars in certain situations.

By Hui Min Neo
Agence France-Presse, Sept. 9, 2010

Kenneth Feith, who is from a UN group trying cut vehicle noise for over 30 years, admitted it was quite a surprise when he got a request for
electric and hybrid cars to make more noise. “My response was, ‘you’re
crazy’,” he recounted.

But as he was taken through the issue of cars so silent that they creep up unnoticed on the visually impaired, elderly and cyclists, the
chairman of the UN working group on quiet road transport vehicles
acknowledged: “Clearly, there is a problem.”

To combat this safety issue, Feith and his team began in March 2009 to
work towards creating a new noise standard for electric and hybrid vehicles, which hum almost soundlessly compared to regular petrol or
diesel cars.

A U.S. Department of Transportation study found that the rate of accidents involving hybrid electric vehicles was twice as high as normal
cars in certain situations, such as when reversing and entering or leaving a parking space.

“Cars have become dangerously quiet,” said John Pare Junior, executive director for strategic initiatives at the U.S. National Federation of
the Blind. “This is a big concern for all pedestrians throughout the world, particularly blind people, who can’t see cars but can hear cars.
We rely on the sound of the vehicles to travel safely,” he added.

The UN group is now trying to establish the volume of sound needed, whether a reversing car should emit a different sound, or if a
particular sound is necessary when the vehicle is stationary even if its
engine is on. This does not necessary mean creating more noise, said
Feith, noting that what is required is a distinctive sound signaling the
arrival or a presence of a vehicle.

“We think we can do that without increasing the noise impact overall,”
he said, noting for example that a ticking sound could be introduced
when a vehicle is accelerating.

As hybrid vehicles gain traction with the public, a global norm is needed urgently, said Feith.

Japanese car manufacturers, including Mitsubishi and Nissan, are working on developing systems to make their hybrid cars a little noisier. Toyota
is already offering such a system to customers.

To avoid a situation in which each brand comes up with their own types of sounds to signal different situations, the UN working group, which
includes major car manufacturing countries — the United States, European Union and Japan, is aiming to come up with a global standard in
coming months. It expects to complete its work in the next one and a half years.

The finalized standard should include specifications on areas such as sound spectrum, sound limits and the detectability of the vehicle over a
certain distance.

Reproduced from http://www.industryweek.com/articles/un_mulls_noisier_hybrid_electric_cars_as_safety_measure_22720.aspx?ShowAll=1&SectionID=4