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Electric cars: New vehicles to emit noise to aid safety
- Thread starter Keeper
- Start date
I don't think it has to be the reversing lorry noise just a noise that has is direction-ally distinct. The last time I read up on it it should also be able to be manually muted by the driver for that one session with it defaulting to on again the next time it would activate.
AlternateFlux
Former Vendor
I've spent time in the past researching this - I used to be a motorcycle journalist and was interested to see if the 'loud pipes save live' mantra was true - and I still haven't seen any compelling evidence to suggest that there is any significant aural recognition difference between a low-speed ICE vehicle and an EV.
At speeds of under 20 mph, it's not the engine noise that is heard, but the tyres. And regardless of that, the sound delivered tends to be multi-directional and very hard to distinguish as to from where it is coming - *untIl* the vehicle is in very close proximity.
There is an argument that LOUD vehicles are easier to hear, but unless you've got an obnoxious 'braap and splutter' exhaust, that isn't going to be the case for 98% of car owners.
I'm all for safety laws - genuinely. But this feels like a possibly unnecessary precautionary law rather than a reactionary one.
At speeds of under 20 mph, it's not the engine noise that is heard, but the tyres. And regardless of that, the sound delivered tends to be multi-directional and very hard to distinguish as to from where it is coming - *untIl* the vehicle is in very close proximity.
There is an argument that LOUD vehicles are easier to hear, but unless you've got an obnoxious 'braap and splutter' exhaust, that isn't going to be the case for 98% of car owners.
I'm all for safety laws - genuinely. But this feels like a possibly unnecessary precautionary law rather than a reactionary one.
AlternateFlux
Former Vendor
A lot of this reaction stems from anecdotal evidence (i.e. that car that nearly hit me was an EV, so it must have been because it's quiet) and then this study:
UCR Newsroom: Hybrid Cars Are Harder to Hear
UCR Newsroom: Hybrid Cars Are Harder to Hear
I'd be interested to see studies on how big a safety problem this really is, as in real safety issue vs a perceived one ("silent menace"?). They're quieter, of course, but are EVs so silent and slow moving ICEs so noisy that this change is really going to cause a lot of extra accidents? Are EVs actually hitting pedestrians materially more than ICE cars? Tyre noise remains and a lot of the time the ICE is only ticking over under a sound insulated bonnet. Other traffic noise makes the one that's going to hit you hard enough to locate precisely by ear alone anyway. And quietness in our world is a real benefit and something to aim for.
My above post was written before I saw yours and you put it better than me but I'll leave mine there. As a cyclist I'm often on the road amongst cars going 10-40mph and I agree. I can hear the road noise and often not the engine, but I still expect to need to look, constantly.
What about bicycles, scooters and electric scooters roller skates, electric skate boards, normal skate boards, - they all have the potential to cause harm to pedestrians who do not hear them. Should they have a noise maker too?
PatrickCH4313
Member
Even emitting noise, all the new young generation will not hear the car because when walking, they just look at their iPhone and listening music using ear-pod and don't look at the street
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AlternateFlux
Former Vendor
Yeah, it's an interesting area of study I think, and would love to see something 'definitive' to see what the actual 'truth' is.
Yesterday I saw a lady get hit by a car in Cambridge at low speed... Nothing serious, just one of those 'bump into the bonnet' kind of 'oops sorry!' moments.
But it wasn't an EV so I doubt she really mentioned it to anybody.
If it had been a Nissan Leaf taxi however, I am certain that confirmation bias would have kicked in and her dinner table conversation that evening would have been lively!
AlternateFlux
Former Vendor
Haha - sadly I am one of the ear-pod obsessed and have to have a soundtrack everywhere with me. BUT that conversely makes me more liable to check all things at all times, because I know I'm potentially putting myself in danger.
AlternateFlux
Former Vendor
How many people were injured by milkfloats in the 1970s I wonder? ;p
Sorry about that Luke. It took me 1/2 hour to post it as i’m a newbie, hence the reason why there are 3 attached files all the same! lol. I’ve no idea how to remove 2. Can’t see a means to edit. But who cares! We probably both started composing at the same time.
Compuguide
Member
Elephant in the room time... I read somewhere that the Tesla (Model 3?) has already got a noise emitting feature, but searching the manual for is fruitless.
Anyone else know about this?
Anyone else know about this?
AlternateFlux
Former Vendor
Tesla Model 3 spotted with "pedestrian noise maker" ahead of NHTSA mandate
Saw this a while back... Didn't really hear/read much about it since though.
People are so eager to make statements, "There should be a law against X Y Z". So, the question is who is the driving force behind this? And, where is the research? We may find that OIL and Stealerships are all in. Let each vehicle stand on it's own merits. They may find a Ford Fiesta needs a noise maker as well.
They were actually quite loud...
The change doesn't really seem that bad. It only works at low speed and in reverse and can be turned off.
So no worries about waking the neighbors on an early morning departure.
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After driving 33k miles in an EV, the only time I’ve found a problem has been when driving around car parks. People seem genuinely amazed as they wander across the traffic lane that there might actually be a car moving in a car park...
I suspect I could be driving a 5 litre V8 and the same people wouldn’t notice me
I suspect I could be driving a 5 litre V8 and the same people wouldn’t notice me
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