This weekend’s homage to the car’s electrification, celebrating deliveries of the Leaf and the Volt to normal civilians, in addition to a whole fleet of electric THINK cars delivered to the State of Indiana, would be incomplete without mentioning that EVs can be a menace to society. These things are so quiet – that they creep up on you – just like that.
To protect society from being unduly menaced, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S. 841, the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, which would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to set standards for alert sounds in electric or hybrid vehicles. The U.S. Senate last week unanimously passed the bill, cnet reports. The bill now goes to the White House for approval from President Obama. Who won’t refuse to sign such a honking bill.
I’m sure people will selling parts that make the EV sound like a V8.
It is a good idea in general. My concern is that pedestrians talk in their cell phone while not looking on the street…. it must be very loud to get today’s pedestrians attention.
To be hones, when i cross the street i never hear the car close to me, I see it. but today’s IC are so quite that they have to be very close to be audible in normal traffic. With this, every car should have one if one is serious.
But again, besides ears, we have eyes but refuse to use them when crossing a street.
It’s a stupid idea, and an even stupider law. On par with the (straight faced serious) proposals to pad lampposts and other sidewalk structures to protect mindless cellphone talkers/texters from injury when they carelessly wandered into them.
I second my earlier nomination for George Jetson sounds…
Make mine a Star Wars TIE fighter please. For everyone who thinks this is a stupid bill, spend some time riding a bicycle in a pedestrian infested area. You’d be amazed how many people will step off the curb right in front of you without so much as glancing up and down the street. Of course, one could make an argument in favor of culling the herd…
I was going to echo the ‘dumb law’ comment, but I agree – TIE fighter sounds would be awesome!
Reminds me of the red flag laws more than a hundred years ago. Same kind of thing. Just as stupid.
Those red flag laws weren’t stupid. A average automobil on the road wasn’t the horseless carriage we imagine but a locomotive on iron wheels without brakes. To state that the stopping distance was a problem is a vast understatement
Maybe if people start looking before they step into the street, they’ll also stop stepping out in front of cyclists.
And maybe they can give “free” ice cream to the emotionally weak Amerikans as well.
We, as humans are gifted with a wonderfull pair of eyes. WTF is so hard about using them. I worked around electric, and almost silent lift trucks, driven by guys with an obstructed view.
Nine out of ten lift accidents, were somebody not using thier god given eyes.
Should be a boon for the clowns that currently sell fake blow-off-valve speaker systems to Civic ricers….
Seriously though, I’ve surprised a few people in car parks with a GS450h.
I’m suprised people are so up in arms about this law being passed. The general idea is so that people who are visualy impared can tell when an EV is coming. Hell, most cross walks around me beep for similar purposes.
“I’m suprised people are so up in arms about this law being passed.”
I’m not opposed to this law because I want to see blind people picked off by passing cars while crossing the road. But at some point you need to weigh the cost against the benefit. In this case there is a large cost in terms of money and unwanted sound balanced against a very speculative benefit.
Regulations like this don’t help.
The actuall occupants of the car are unlikely to hear the sound ommitted with the windows up due to modern sound deadening and insulation.