Added sound effects for EVs

One of the advantages of electric and hybrid vehicles is their quietness. Alternatively, one of the disadvantages of electric and hybrid vehicles is their quietness. According to an article in the Daily Mail, under EU rules these cars will have to be fitted with 'sound effects' (possibly replicating the sound of a petrol engine) to ensure that they are audible to pedestrians, blind people and other road users.

The article cites research carried out by the charity Guide Dogs for the Blind, which showed that blind volunteers listening to an electric car travelling at 5mph could only detect it when it was seven feet away, or one second from impact. This compares to 28 feet for a petrol car. 

The new rules could come in as early as next year, says the Mail. The paper estimates that there are 2,353 electric and 128,165 hybrid cars on the UK’s roads. pg