Not every hybrid or electric vehicle motors along at low speeds with only road noise, and perhaps a bit of motor whine, alerting people in its path to its presence. However, under a new rule issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, automakers were told to ensure their vehicles emit a warning noise at speeds of up to 18.6 mph.
The measure was first proposed back in 2010, when hybrids were few and EVs almost non-existent. Moving at the speed of bureaucracy (the Department of Transportation finalized the rules in 2016), the low-speed noise mandate was supposed to finally enter into law last September, but the NHTSA extended the deadline by a year. On Monday, the agency extended it once again.
As reported by Reuters, the NHTSA has pushed the compliance date to March 1st of 2021, and will hear from the public before potentially deciding to tack on an additional six months.
The sudden emergence of the coronavirus pandemic and the development delays resulting from it compelled some automakers, among them General Motors and Toyota, to push for a one-year extension back in April. In a statement, the NHTSA said the six-month delay “strikes a reasonable balance between providing necessary regulatory relief” and the swiftest enactment possible.
As plug-in hybrids proliferate and a wave of new electric vehicle models grows in height just offshore, having all cars in compliance would boost pedestrian safety to some degree. Studies have shown that hybrid vehicles are more likely to strike a pedestrian.
Again, the measure is less of a concern for those companies that fielded warning noises since day one.
While all vehicles that operate in electric mode at low speeds will be required to emit some sort of warning noise, not all noises will be the same. It’s up to the individual automaker to come up with a tone that reaches the vehicle’s waterproof speakers. General Motors debuted its new low-speed warning noise on the ill-fated 2019 Chevrolet Volt; while the automaker said the new sound was more deliberate and more likely to be noticed by people in the area, the automotive symphony struck this listener as unsettling.
[Image: General Motors]
Couple of thoughts
Probably needed but I cannot imagine what a downtown core(like SF or SEA),that is designed to be auto unfriendly, would sound like with autos slowly moving bumper to bumper at 5-10 mph.
Also I think the sound should be distinctive and the same for all vehicles. Probably not as loud as a commercial vehicle backing up.
Great, now Depeche Mode is stuck playing in my head
Worse things could be stuck up there…if the next headline is a play on a Flock of Seagulls song, I’m screwed.
^ This!
My 2020 RAV4 hybrid makes a very loud “demonic chorus of angels” sound in reverse. It is far quieter when moving forward. People on a certain RAV4 chat site hate it, and are going to great lengths to turn it off. It involves soldering a resistor in place of the speaker, to avoid tampering detection by the car. Personally, the quizzical looks from people in parking lots makes it worth it.
Hmm, I like that resistor idea!
I am sure insurance adjusters, accident investigators and liability attorneys will identify a macgyvered solution that bypasses a required safety feature if an unaware pedestrian is struck and injured.
And when the auto maker is named in the suit because it could be bypassed the next generation will have a proprietary chip in the speaker so it cannot be bypassed.
My 12 Leaf and 19 Ioniq EV both did/do emit an annoying truck-like backup alert in reverse.
The Hyundai’s is slightly better, but it makes backing into the driveway at night a community event.
Meet George Jetson.
As for the choice of sound I am always for Grand Funk Red Album at 110 dB and 20 Hz low frequency response.
I vote for “Woo Hoo” with the 5.6.7.8’s as played in Kill Bill I
I never get tired of that album.
I’m gonna vote for Frank Zappa’s “willie the Pimp.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kDsLxnQd8U
At first I thought maybe Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child.”
Skrillex would probably work. People might literally flee hearing that!
Not bad…
Had a 79 Magnum GT 360 4bbl Chianti Red with a white gut.T tops. The GT had the police suspension pkg bigger tires and firm feel fast ratio steering. I have to say it was a wonderful car set up that way. Plus the size made for a true paradise by the dash board lights ;-)Sigh.