NHTSA: Quiet Cars Must Imitate Noisy Cars by 2019

Recall back in January 2015, when there was sensationalized outcry about how automakers were purposefully making their cars sound louder. As vehicle cabins became more soundproof and engines more efficient, many manufacturers opted to either, (A) play fake engine noise through a vehicle’s sound system, or (B) redesign systems or include components so the driver was better able to perceive the engine resonance. This was primarily done to meet driver expectations of what a car sounds like.

This is called ‘order content’ in automaker nomenclature. Greater numbers of hybrid and electric vehicles are entering the U.S. auto fleet (although EVs are less than 1% and hybrids are roughly 3% of the market share) and these vehicles are even quieter than the internal combustion engine vehicles that were under scrutiny two years ago.

So to help visually-impaired pedestrians—or more likely the thousands of phone-staring urbanites who would helplessly walk right into traffic without a glance—the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued regulations that all new electric and hybrid vehicles need to emit exterior noise when powered on and stopped or travelling below 18.6 mph (including in reverse) by September 1, 2019. This noise must also increase or decrease in pitch, to indicate acceleration and deceleration, and be able to indicate constant speed or reverse.

The NHTSA has also determined that not enough vehicle noise research has been done in regards to motorcycles and heavy-duty vehicles. So two- and three-wheeled vehicles are exempt from this policy, as are vehicles over 10,000 lb. The sound can also be eliminated when the vehicle exceeds 18.6 mph, as it should create enough operational noise to be a sufficient auditory cue.

This isn’t unlike the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System legislation the European Union passed in 2014. AVAS systems have to be in place on all new EV and hybrid cars in the EU by July 2019 and retrofits have to be completed within two years after that. Probably the best feature of the AVAS ruling is EVs and hybrids can put their supplementary noise on pause.

It remains to be seen what sounds hybrid automakers will elect to use on their EVs and hybrids but some, such as Nissan, have already begun implementing acoustic warnings. The Nissan Leaf sounds a bit like a spaceship, but not in the cool way.

Compelling high efficiency vehicles to make noise eliminates one of their key features. Never forget that noise is indeed a type of pollution and wasted energy.

Of course Tesla, the manufacturer who has anted the most into the EV market, sees this as a problem. Electrek points out that in 2013, when AVAS and NHTSA’s quiet car rules were just beginning to take shape, Elon Musk saw this as a future possibility. He floated the idea of directed noise, using proximity sensors that recognize pedestrians and speakers that propagate sound at them. This might be the best compromise between EVs that make, arguably, too much noise, while also keeping blind or distracted pedestrians aware. With Tesla’s new Enhanced Autopilot, this is a very real possibility, but who knows if the NHTSA will believe it complies with their new mandate.

(Sarcasm: Next on the list are cars that send you a text message to tell you when it is safe to cross the street.)

No matter what noise car manufacturers elect to use on their EVs and hybrids, I don’t think anyone is going to be completely satisfied with the result. We’ll have cars that make genuine engine noise; cars that imitate engine noise; and cars that potentially sound nothing like cars at all.

It’s true that quiet vehicles could be a real danger in urban environments, but the answer of intentional noise pollution isn’t optimal. And at some point, even though we all can and do make mistakes, pedestrians need to have some self-reliance on their ability to navigate basic sidewalks.