Old electric cars could become louder after US safety authority investigation

US road safety regulators are investigating whether more than 9 million electric and hybrid cars built since 1997 should be recalled and fitted with noise-emitting speakers – potentially life-saving technology for vision-impaired pedestrians.

Since 1 September 2019, new electric and hybrid vehicles sold in the US – specifically those which don’t run on engine power at up to 30km/h and weigh less than 4536kg – have been required to emit a sound between 43 and 64 decibels to warn pedestrians of their presence.

US publication Teslarati reports the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition in July 2022, which argued all hybrid and electric cars should be fitted with noise-emitting devices regardless of when they were made, citing a law which was enacted more than a decade ago.

The US Government’s Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 – which became law in 2011 – states car-makers are required to “establish a method for alerting blind and other pedestrians of the presence and operation of nearby motor vehicles to enable such pedestrians to travel safely and independently in urban, rural, and residential environments.”

According to the petition, the law should be backdated to include all electric and hybrid cars sold in the US since 1997, not just those which meet the post-September 2019 criteria.

While the investigation is only in its formative stages, the NHTSA’s Office of Defect Investigation estimates making the noise-emitting devices compulsory on electric and hybrid cars would result in approximately 9 million vehicles being recalled in the US.

Despite the technology becoming compulsory in the US, Europe, Japan and China within the past decade, Australia is yet to make noise-emitting devices mandatory in new electric cars sold locally.

As previously reported, Vision Australia has advocated for the technology – formally known as an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) – to be mandated locally since 2018.

A 2018 report by Vision Australia and the Monash University Accident Research Centre found 35 per cent of vision-impaired pedestrians have been involved in a collision or near-collision with an electric or hybrid vehicle, due to the lack of engine noise.

Vision Australia’s report also stated 47 per cent of pedestrians who are blind or have reduced vision are now less confident to walk and cross roads, citing the increasing number of electric vehicles on local streets.