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05/05/2010
Electric cars may have to project artificial sounds, under EU plans to make their presence more obvious to pedestrians.
Safety regulators are said to be considering introducing the legislation in a bid to prevent the potential danger the 'quiet' vehicles could pose to cyclists and pedestrians - particularly the visually-impaired.
And it has been suggested that different models could even have their own signature sounds, in order to differentiate between them. According to the Environmental Transport Association (ETA), Nissan - which is set to build its electric Leaf model in Sunderland - is considering using a range of sounds, including background 'white' noise, electronic bleeps, or even "Star Wars" sounds.
When driven at low speed, electric cars - and hybrids that are running only on electric power - emit far less noise than traditional cars with a petrol or diesel engine. However, according to Transport and Environment, while engine noise is the most important factor at speeds below 30kmh (18mph), tyre noise is the dominant sound at higher speeds.
Research in 2008 from the University of California, Riverside, suggested that - using hearing alone - people could not detect an electric car travelling at 5mph until it was 11 ft away. This was more than three times closer than for a traditional vehicle with an internal combustion engine, and - even at such a low speed - afforded the subjects less than two seconds of reaction time.
Last year, American manufacturer GM revealed that it was working with the National Federation of the Blind to reach a consensus on the level of noise needed to alert pedestrians without creating an unnecessary disturbance. Testing focused on adapting the vehicle's horn to emit bursts, which are designed to alert the visually-impaired without alarming them.
A spokesperson for the ETA said: "The ability of electric cars to run silent[ly] need not be lost by this legislation as the advantage of artificial soundtracks is that they can be altered to reflect the road conditions or even the mood of the driver."
However, the prospective legislation has been criticised by Neil Butcher, who is leading the Government-sponsored CABLED ultra low-carbon vehicle trial in the West Midlands. He told Sky News Online that such artificial noise would represent a "retrograde step".
"We have a chance to reduce noise levels on our streets and we should take it," he added.
"If we put noise in now we'll never get rid of it."
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