Automakers are concerned about their electric vehicles and hybrids scaring people on the streets with their mandatory artificial noises imposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). At the same time, car manufacturers don’t want the noises to annoy drivers or passengers.
This is the message sent by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM), which represents the big automakers present in the U.S., to federal officials who want silent EVs and hybrids to be equipped with audio warning signals for pedestrians.
In a letter to NHTSA boss David Strickland, AAM said it wants the cars to make a “pleasant” sound, as this is considered “critical to consumer acceptance.” Back in January, Strickland instructed automakers to figure out ways to make their vehicles noisier, but he said the noise must be loud enough to be heard amid street noises and other background sounds. Vehicles belonging to the same brand and model would have to emit the same sound or set of sounds, and those sounds would need to meet certain minimum requirements.
In his response to the AAM’s letter, Strickland said he understands the need for distinct cars to sound different than one another. However, he added, “we need to avoid opening a Pandora’s box of sounds that would allow too many options, such as individual ‘ring tones’ for every vehicle on the road.”
Automakers oppose the current deadline of September 2014 for equipping new cars with the signals, and see 2018 as a more realistic target date. They consider the proposed alert sounds to be too loud and too complicated, as the cars would need to be redesigned to accommodate the systems.
Such a system would include “at least one electronic control unit, two larger speakers, suppliers’ development cost and considerable lead-time,” according to the AAM. It would also drain the cars’ batteries and reduce driving range, AAM added.
By Dan Mihalascu
Story References: Washington Post
VIDEO