Hyundai Kona

One of the strangest sensations that accompany driving an EV is the lack of engine noise. There is a slight whine from the electric motor but it’s barely audible. To get around the lack of noise the Kona Electric comes with something called VESS or Virtual Engine Sound System, in the interest of pedestrian safety, especially the ones who are visually impaired. A speaker mounted on the inside of the front bumper emits a sound at lower speeds to warn cyclists or pedestrians of the vehicle’s presence. It’s hard to describe the sound to be honest. It’s a deep sort of a drone, akin to that of a locomotive, and the volume increases progressively till about 30kmph after which it goes off. While reversing, along with the VESS, the car also emits a recurring ding to warn others around the vehicle. In quiet environs, a basement parking for example, the noise is evident even within the cabin. But out on the road, keeping the generally high level of ambient noise in our cities in mind, it does get drowned out. A button towards the bottom left of the steering can turn it on or off since regulations in India do not require manufacturers to install a feature like this in EVs yet.

Does it work, though? Well, in my experience so far while driving through my apartment complex or narrow streets at low speeds when VESS is active, I haven’t really observed people getting out of the way. To be fair, most people don’t move even if there’s a very audible diesel car approaching them from behind so, a very mild sound like the one emitted by the Kona is hardly going to work. As a result I’ve found myself using the horn more often than I would in case of a regular ICE vehicle.

KONA ELECTRIC’S VESS EMITS A SOUND AT LOWER SPEEDS TO WARN PEDESTRIANS OR CYCLISTS