Electric car owners can choose the fake sounds emitted by their cars as part of a new proposal



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The federal government requires automakers to include artificial engine noise in electric and hybrid cars when they warn pedestrians at low speeds, but it wants to give vehicle owners the ability to choose which sounds they want. they use.

In a regulatory proposal notice, the US National Highway Traffic Safety states that drivers should be able to "choose the sound they prefer from all the sounds installed in the vehicle". But NHTSA also wants to know if it should limit the number of false sounds that manufacturers should be allowed to install.

The proposed rule-making would consist of an amendment to the finalized rules in February 2018 requiring electric and hybrid vehicles to emit low-speed sounds in order to avoid hurting pedestrians, especially blind or dangerous people. visually impaired NHTSA has recently postponed the deadline until 2020 for full compliance, while vehicles sold in the European Union have until 2021.

Electric cars are quieter than their internal combustion engine counterparts. The only noises that electric vehicles usually produce are due to wind resistance or tires, and only at moderate to high speeds.

The new rule requires all new-generation electric vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less to emit audible noise when driving forward or reversing at speeds below 19 mph. According to the NHTSA, sound warning is not required at higher speeds because other factors, such as tire and wind noise, "provide an adequate audible warning to pedestrians". Initially, NHTSA did not specify the types of noises that manufacturers chose to install in their vehicles.

Some manufacturers have already selected their sounds. Mercedes-Benz emits an artificial buzz for its EQC electric range, while VW claims its ID.3 compact electric vehicles will be installed with a dummy sound for low speeds when they enter the showrooms in 2020. Mercedes-AMG, the automaker's performance brand collaborates with rock band Linkin Park to find a sound that further attenuates the bass for its vehicles.

Some automakers are already studying ways to make money with the absence of noise in electric vehicles. Porsche Proposes $ 500 Domestic "Electric Sport Sound" in Configurator of Recently Released Taycan Electric Sports Car ELECTrek.

Other builders, however, are looking for workarounds. Last year, The edge indicated that Ford was seeking a partial exemption for its range of police vehicles. The company asks if this could include a "switch" – supposedly for law enforcement officials to use their electric vehicles to sneak up on suspected criminals.

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