How fake revs will make our electric cars safer
ALL new electric cars are being fitted with a device that makes fake engine noises – after safety campaigners warned they are too quiet and pose a danger to pedestrians.
New car models must come with an acoustic vehicle alert system (Avas) from today, including hybrids, so that other road users can hear them.
The noises will mimic the sound of a conventional engine and will be activated if the car is reversing or travelling below 12.5 miles an hour. However, drivers can switch off the system if they deem it appropriate – for example in slow-moving traffic on a motorway.
The directive from the European Union, which will be enforced in the UK whether or not Brexit happens, will also apply to all new electric and hybrid cars registered in the bloc from July 2021 – not just new models. The Department for Transport said the new precautions should give ‘added confidence’ to vulnerable road users including the blind and partially sighted.
Roads minister Michael Ellis said: ‘ The Government wants the benefits of green transport to be felt by everyone, and understands the concerns of the visually impaired about the possible hazards posed by quiet electric vehicles.’
The law has been welcomed by campaigners including Guide Dogs for the Blind, which said electric cars are 40 per cent more likely to hit a pedestrian than a normal vehicle. Spokesman John Welsman said: ‘There are two million children and adults living in the UK affected by sight loss and the rise in electric and hybrid vehicles pose a significant risk to them... We are delighted that from today it is now compulsory for new models to have an Avas built in.’
Currently just 57,000 of the 35million cars on Britain’s roads are fully electric. But the National Grid had predicted there could be as many as 9million by 2030.