NHTSA sets 'Quiet Car' safety standard to protect pedestrians

[7kdblas]

From NHTSA sets 'Quiet Car' safety standard to protect pedestrians | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

"Manufacturers have until Sept. 1, 2019, to equip all new hybrid and electric vehicles with sounds that meet the new federal safety standard. "

I'm sure there's nothing more that I can add that's not already in the sticky thread other than my personal surprise (disgust) that this has been mandated.

 

[weak_pig]

The utter idiocy of this stupid standard is astounding...

 

[ecarfan]

A truly absurd decision by the NHTSA. Tesla will have to implement something, and I hope there is an "off" switch.

 

[bkp_duke]

Stupid A$$ government intervention . . .

 

[Bangor Bob]

A truly absurd decision by the NHTSA. Tesla will have to implement something, and I hope there is an "off" switch.

User-accessible off switches are a violation of the standard.

I still say the warning sound should be "Federal law requires this stupid warning. Call your senator and tell her or him it's stupid."

 

[weak_pig]

some ICE vehicles I know hardly make any sound when travelling slow. So should we implement some fake sounds on them too?

 

[Att1cus]

I sure hope the Model 3 is on-time and avoids this nonsense.

 

[Redmiata98]

With regard to turning it off, from the report:

• Manufacturers must be prohibited from providing any mechanism for anyone other than
  the manufacturer or dealers to disable, alter, replace, or modify the sound or set of sounds emitted from the vehicle. Under the PSEA, a manufacturer or a dealer, however, is allowed to alter, replace, or modify the sound or set of sounds in order to remedy a defect or non-compliance with the safety standard.
  

 

[hacer]

From NHTSA sets 'Quiet Car' safety standard to protect pedestrians | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

"Manufacturers have until Sept. 1, 2019, to equip all new hybrid and electric vehicles with sounds that meet the new federal safety standard. "

It is troubling that throughout the report they use the mean sound level of ICE vehicles as a reference, and while they set the minimum thresholds (even while stopped!!) below those mean levels it is very, very clear that there are quite a few very loud ICE vehicles which skews the mean ICE noise level considerably. Based on the numbers they've mandated my guess is that the required loudness of EVs/HVs set by this standard is louder than the median value for ICE vehicles being produced today.

 

[woof]

Let's see what Tesla comes up with before condemning it. For the record I'm not a fan of the idea, but I do think all cars should have some "reversing" sound (not the truck backup 700 dB BEEP!).

 

[Akikiki]

From NHTSA sets 'Quiet Car' safety standard to protect pedestrians | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

"Manufacturers have until Sept. 1, 2019, to equip all new hybrid and electric vehicles with sounds that meet the new federal safety standard. "

I'm sure there's nothing more that I can add that's not already in the sticky thread other than my personal surprise (disgust) that this has been mandated.

I hope the feds decide that buses need a standard to protect pedestrians too. I mean considering gas and diesel buses are so quiet no pedestrians are every run over and killed by buses, huh?

 

[snellenr]

"... make audible noise when traveling in reverse or forward at speeds up to 30 kilometers per hour (about 19 miles per hour)"

This should make for musical rush hour traffic...

 

[JenniferQ]

The Nissan Leaf I bought for our daughter has this and you can barely notice it from the cabin. Especially so if the radio is on at all. And I do find I drive very carefully in my Tesla after initially scaring a few pedis and bicyclists with my ninja driving skills

 

[davidc18]

Beyond stupid.

 

[weak_pig]

Actually how does car noise help during encounters with deaf pedestrians or youths with noise cancellation ear phones? I suppose people like them won't be able to hear it if a car comes up behind them?

 

[Plug Life]

Actually how does car noise help during encounters with deaf pedestrians or youths with noise cancellation ear phones? I suppose people like them won't be able to hear it if a car comes up behind them?

A creative solution would be to use heavy chili bean fart sounds AND smell that would alert even blind pedestrians.

 

[bro1999]

I can see the anti-EV crowd already running the negative ads: Electric cars will run over your children and pets and loved ones!

 

[weak_pig]

A creative solution would be to use heavy chili bean fart sounds AND smell that would alert even blind pedestrians.

I think a car-sized pepper spray would go the job nicely.

 

[green1]

I can see the anti-EV crowd already running the negative ads: Electric cars will run over your children and pets and loved ones!

They already have been. And they were successful as proven by this stupidity.

This is basically a red-flag law.

This will make EVs louder than ICEs for no reason. Hopefully I can get some wire-cutters on it

 

[bkp_duke]

They already have been. And they were successful as proven by this stupidity.

This is basically a red-flag law.

This will make EVs louder than ICEs for no reason. Hopefully I can get some wire-cutters on it

It's not even a law, it's a mandate.

If it were a law, at least there would have been a process to go through and comment on it, call representatives to express your viewpoint, etc.

This is just nasty pro-oil / pro-ICE lobby efforts getting in with an organization that "dictates" policy due to "safety".