Do electric cars pose a risk to pedestrians?
With the growing popularity of electric cars, the U.S. Congress is considering a so-called Quiet Car Bill in order to stipulate a minimum sound level for all vehicles. Although no one has yet been killed by a car because it was too quiet, there is concern that near-silent electric cars pose a threat to pedestrians.
All this is good news for Enhanced Vehicle Acoustics, an American company which received start-up funding from the National Federation of the Blind in order to develop ‘car tones’ – artificially-created sounds for otherwise silent electric cars.
In theory, the sound emitted by the speakers that the company fits inside the wheel arches of electric cars could be entirely bespoke and downloaded in the same way that mobile phone users currently acquire ring tones, but for now the sound being worked on is a little more conventional sounding.
The Pedestrian Awareness Noise-Emitting Device and Application (PANDA) at present produces a sound comprising a cocktail of digital recordings including an idling combustion engine, a low-pitched flute, a chanting male choir and other ambient noises.
Do electric cars pose a risk to pedestrians?
In a study conducted by the University of California, pedestrians heard a petrol-engined Honda Accord moving at 5 miles per hour three seconds before it reached them – by the time they heard an oncoming Prius, it had already passed by.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association said: “The noise created by motorised traffic a blight to many, so it does seem a shame that electric vehicles are being taught to ‘sing’ in this way, but when we test drove the Nissan FCV earlier this year it was obvious that even greater care was needed around pedestrians.”
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What is the ETA?
The ETA is a not-for-profit ethical organisation providing motorists and cyclists with carbon-neutral breakdown cover and insurance products. As well as encouraging responsible driving to reduce carbon, the ETA campaigns for sustainable transport.
