Under a new European Union requirement that took effect on July 1, all new four-wheeled electric vehicles (EVs) must be outfitted with a device that mimics the sound of an engine, reports the BBC.
The acoustic vehicle alert system has to turn on when the car reverses or drives below 12 mph, when the car is most likely to be near pedestrians. Some disability advocacy groups have argued the noise should be required at all speeds. The US will institute a similar requirement for new EVs starting in 2020.
The noise should comprise a whine whose pitch varies with the vehicle’s speed accompanied by the sound of empty one pint glass milk bottles rattling in steel wire crates. This will let people know that it is an electric vehicle.
@Nameless No doubt higher end EV manufacturers will devise a more ‘refined’ whine to distinguish their vehicles. I can foresee German EV companies devoting an entire department to developing this sound…