2023-04-30 07:55:51
The number of e-vehicles that are quieter than conventional engines is growing on the roads. What does that mean for safety – especially if you are particularly dependent on acoustic assessment?
In view of the increasing number of quieter electric cars, the German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired is pushing for better recognizable vehicle noises. President Hans-Werner Lange told the German Press Agency: “With a combustion engine, you can hear how hard someone is on the gas, whether a vehicle is accelerating gently or vigorously.”
With the Avas system with artificial driving noises for e-cars, you can’t hear that so well. So it has to be more meaningful. “It would certainly be helpful if the industry based itself on the usual combustion engine noise”. It is also important that the noise should not switch off when the vehicle reaches a speed of 20.
The Avas (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System) warning system has been mandatory since 2021, as the industry association VDA explained. In order to support people with limited visual perception when participating in traffic, it generates an artificial driving noise – because otherwise e-cars could be almost silent, especially at low speeds. “German manufacturers are constantly developing their Avas to guarantee the safety of all road users,” said a VDA spokesman.
“Can lead to wrong decisions”
Association President Lange said: “We all use acoustic information when we’re standing on the side of the road to assess vehicles. How hard is he stepping on the gas? Can I still get to the other side safely in front of this car?” A study by the insurers’ accident research has shown that e-cars with Avas are estimated to be slower than they are when accelerating. “That can lead to wrong decisions when it comes to the question of whether a street can still be crossed safely. And that is of course associated with great danger.”
The VDA explained that internationally, with the participation of worldwide associations for the blind and visually impaired, agreement had been reached on a uniform provision for the audibility of low-noise vehicles. Manufacturers would have the opportunity to design the acoustic signals technically freely within this specification. “In some cases, noises from combustion engines are also imitated,” said the spokesman.
In a study presented in 2022, the insurers’ accident research recommended optimizing the Avas specifications. Among other things, the focus should be on recognizing accelerations. It was also recommended to extend the range of use of the system to speeds of over 20 kilometers per hour. Association President Lange said, referring to the study, that the tire noise from reaching 20 km/h is not enough to hear well whether and how a car is accelerating. (dpa)
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