Hybrid and electric cars could be about to get a whole lot noisier as the first generation of electric cars start to reach the US market.
A bill called the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, designed to address safety concerns over the use of electric and hybrid cars, received unanimous approval in the Senate last week. The bill will now moves to the House of Representatives where it is expected to receive final approval before it is handed to the President to be signed off as law.
If it does indeed become law, the Act would set a minimum noise level which all electric and hybrid cars must meet in order to reduce the risk that they might go unheard by pedestrians when in use. It is feared that the quiet electric operations of such vehicles could increase likelihood that they will come into a collision with a pedestrian or cyclists. Those road users with visual impairment are thought to be at particular risk.
Many car makers have been preparing for the introduction of noise legislation for their alternative fuel vehicles. Toyota has already introduced a noise maker on its hybrid Prius model in Japan while Audi too has been investigating artificial noise systems to fit to electric and hybrid models.
While hybrid cars are already a familiar presence in the US, new fully electric models such as the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV are newly introduced into the US market this month.
