AUTONEWS

Electrical and hybrids forced to make noise

It is decided at Community level that all new hybrid and electric cars sold from July 2021 in the European Union are required to include, as standard, an audible warning device, the sound of which will simulate the reaction of a combustion engine at ambient pressure of the accelerator, with a minimum frequency of 56 decibels and a maximum of 75 decibels up to a speed of 20 km / h, it being compulsory for the vehicle to be heard even when it is reversing.
Named Audible Vehicle Alert System (AVAS), this audible alert varies with acceleration, up to a maximum of 1600 hertz. And, in order to fulfill the function that is the origin of its future obligatoriness, it will not be able to be turned off by the driver.
The measure comes in response to the need to ensure greater safety for pedestrians, especially children, the elderly and the blind, as it has been shown that driving at a maximum speed of 30 km / h, a vehicle that runs in zero-emission mode only is detectable at 8 meters, leaving the pawn only a second and a half to react. Hence, in the US, regulation is a bit tighter.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the equivalent of the National Road Safety Authority, has determined that, up to a speed of 18.6 mph (30 km / h), vehicles traveling in EV mode, whether purely electric or hybrids are required to make an artificial sound as early as September 2020. A year earlier, in September this year, manufacturers have to ensure that 50% of the new units they have on the street meet the new rule. And that is precisely why, nowadays, any builder who has in his plans in electric or a hybrid, is obliged to include immediately in the project what we can call "sound signature." Something that the Nissan Leaf, the best selling electric in the world, has already offered since 2010.

This is the reason why automobile manufacturers are investing in the necessary differentiation for sound, as they are concerned with creating a stylistic identity through lighting. Mercedes-AMG said at the Geneva Motor Show that it is working with well-known rock band Linkin Park to create the "melody" that will distinguish One, its super-hybrid plug-in hybrid, with technology imported from Formula 1. A car that, although turned to the performance, will be able to circulate in the public highway, with its more than 1,000 hp and the capacity to go from 0-100 km / h in 2.7 seconds, being able to reach 350 km / h of maximum speed. However, the fact that it can guarantee exclusively electric locomotion, even if only for 25 km, necessarily forces it to include AVAS.
his is the reason why automobile manufacturers are investing in the necessary differentiation for sound, as they are concerned with creating a stylistic identity through lighting. Mercedes-AMG said at the Geneva Motor Show that it is working with well-known rock band Linkin Park to create the "melody" that will distinguish One, its super-hybrid plug-in hybrid, with technology imported from Formula 1. A car that, although turned to the performance, will be able to circulate in the public highway, with its more than 1,000 hp and the capacity to go from 0-100 km / h in 2.7 seconds, being able to reach 350 km / h of maximum speed. However, the fact that it can guarantee exclusively electric locomotion, even if only for 25 km, necessarily forces it to include AVAS.

With I-Pace, introduced in March 2018, Jaguar was soon concerned with ensuring that its SUV would be heard under the regulations that were still being discussed. And it's like that:

The need to regulate in this sense has long been discussed, with discussions even involving manufacturers. Not only was there no agreement on the type of warning sound, but some of the advo- cates of the trams claimed that this would eliminate one of the main advantages of this type of vehicle - the fact that noise pollution is reduced, resources. However, this is where the greatest risk for pedestrians lies, especially when zero-emission vehicles have access to historic centers where people stroll and where traffic is prohibited to all vehicles that do not run in electric mode.Interestingly, Tesla, which is often at the forefront of electric mobility, has not yet revealed how its models will respond to this enforcement. It is known that Sentry Mode allows access to the audio system of the vehicle, and put the volume of the song very high to dissuade in case of attempted theft, but this solution does not project the sound to the outside, as if to alert the their approach. However, there are already several suppliers in the market positioning themselves to ensure that brands have in their product a way to comply with the new legal requirements:

Note that electric motorcycles also have to comply with this directive, so with its first such proposal, LiveWire, Harley Davidson also had to adapt to the new requirement of regulation.