The car should not drive silently. Free Technical Library News

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The car should not drive silently

21.04.2014

Within five years, all new "green" cars intended for operation in the EU countries will be equipped with devices that imitate the sound of the engine. This unusual measure is primarily aimed at improving the safety of blind or visually impaired pedestrians.

According to European authorities, cars with hybrid and all-electric power plants should be equipped with a sound generator that will imitate the sound of an engine, thereby warning pedestrians about the approach of a car.

Europe and the US have long been concerned about the noiselessness of environmentally friendly vehicles. The peculiarity of such cars is that they make almost no noise when driving, so they can threaten the lives of cyclists and pedestrians, primarily the blind and visually impaired. There is also a growing number of accidents involving inattentive mobile device users, who often walk down the street with their eyes on the screen of their "device".

In accordance with the decision of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, by July 1, 2019, all new hybrid and electric vehicles will have to be equipped with a special acoustic warning system (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System, AVAS). The main requirements for the operation of this system should be approved by mid-2017.

The need to install engine sound simulators in "green" cars was announced in 2010 by the UK Ministry of Transport. In the same year, the automaker Lotus introduced its own sound generator, and Toyota began equipping the Prius model offered in the Japanese market with similar devices. Toyota's device, for example, emits a sound similar to the operation of a car engine, and the frequency of the sound changes depending on the speed of the hybrid car. In the European region, the French company Renault and the Norwegian Think are developing a similar sound generator.

If "green" cars in Europe should become noisier, then cars with traditional gasoline and diesel engines are quieter. MEPs have voted to reduce engine noise by 4dB by July 2016 in conventional passenger cars, buses and vans. Trucks should be 3dB quieter. Noise pollution in European countries is expected to decrease by 25% by 2026.

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