Electric cars to have petrol engine soundtrack

A charity for the blind is working with sports car-manufacturer Lotus to develop an artificial petrol engine sound for quiet electric vehicles.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association believes that near-silent vehicles will put blind and partially sighted people at risk and wants the European Union to set minimum noise requirements for electric cars before they become widespread.

In a study conducted by the University of California, pedestrians heard a petrol-engined vehicle moving at 5 miles per hour three seconds before it reached them – by the time they heard an electric car, it had already passed by.

Artificial sound for electric cars

The technology needed to replicate the noise of an engine consists of a speaker under the bonnet which is wired to the accelerator pedal. The sound is made by analysing the noise of a petrol engine in order to establish the characteristic frequencies at different engine speeds.

Critics argue that most of the noise of cars comes from the tyres and not the engine.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “When we test drove the near-silent Nissan FCV it was obvious that even greater care was needed around pedestrians, but it seems a shame that the artificial noise being developed for electric cars cannot be anything more imaginative than the sound of a petrol engine.”

Are electric cars too quiet for pedestrians?

With the growing popularity of electric cars, the American Congress looks set to introduce a Quiet Car Bill to stipulate a minimum sound level for all vehicles. Although no one has yet been killed by a car because it was too quiet, there is concern that near-silent electric cars pose a threat to pedestrians.

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