Bedford Driving Lessons

Electric cars may have to project artificial sounds, under EU plans to make their presence more obvious to pedestrians. Safety regulators are said to be considering introducing the legislation in a bid to prevent the potential danger the ‘quiet’ vehicles could pose to cyclists and pedestrians – particularly the visually-impaired. And it has been suggested that different models could even have their own signature sounds, in order to differentiate between them. According to the Environmental Transport Association (ETA), Nissan – which is set to build its electric Leaf model in Sunderland – is considering using a range of sounds, including background ‘white’ noise, electronic bleeps, or even “Star Wars” sounds. When driven at low speed, electric cars – and hybrids that are running only on electric power – emit far less noise than traditional cars with a petrol or diesel engine. However, according to Transport and Environment, while engine noise is the most important factor at speeds below 30kmh (18mph), tyre noise is the dominant sound at higher speeds. Research in 2008 from the University of California, Riverside, suggested that – using hearing alone – people could not detect an electric car travelling at 5mph until it was 11 ft away. This was more than three times closer than for a traditional vehicle with an internal combustion engine, and – even at such a low speed – afforded the subjects less than two seconds of reaction time. More