The Australian government officially announced a new design rule requiring new electric vehicles to produce some noise when driving at low speed starting next year.
EVs’ quiet nature compromises blind people’s safety
Electric vehicles, including battery electric, hybrid, and fuel cell EVs, do not produce much sound, unlike traditional internal combustion engine-powered ones. Most of the available models in the Australian market only generate noise from the engine under extreme acceleration or from the wheels.
Their quiet nature continues to pose a threat to the safety of people, especially the most vulnerable.
Hearing approaching vehicles is very crucial for visually impaired people to determine when they can cross the road. That said, the growing number of quiet electric cars on the roads increases the safety risk for this group of people.
“Quiet vehicles such as electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles travelling at low speeds are harder for pedestrians to hear compared to noisier vehicles with conventional petrol or diesel engines.
This increases the risk of being involved in a collision, and this risk is greater for people who are blind or have poor vision who rely on sound to negotiate the road network independently.”
Australian government media release
The new rule
Federal Transport Minister Catherine King announced the new Australian Design Rule (ADR) on April 19, 2024.
The ADR requires all new battery, hybrid, and hydrogen electric vehicles to make a warning noise at low speeds (below 25km/h) by November 2025. Notably, the subjected EVs include cars, buses, and trucks.
The Australian government promotes the “Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS)” under the new rule. It produces sound alerts when an EV drives in low-speed areas like parks, intersections, and driveways. The government noted that AVAS will not make electric vehicles noisier than an ICE-powered vehicle.
The noise must reach 50 decibels or the usual volume of a normal conversation. It must increase at lower speeds to alert people of approaching vehicles.
Expected outcomes
The Australian government expects the new ADR to reduce the following risks to human lives by 2060:
- 68 fatalities
- 2,675 serious injuries
- 2,962 minor injuries by 2060
Moreover, the initiative is also estimated to save Australians a total of $208 million from such accidents.
