Toyota Addresses Hybrid, EV Silence Issue In Japan With Noise Generator for Prius
By John O'Dell August 24, 2010Toyota will add on-board sound effects to Prius hybrids sold in Japan as the automaker joins a growing list of companies addressing pedestrian-safety issues created by hybrids and battery-electric vehicles that run far quieter than conventional cars at low speeds.
In the U.S., the company is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Society of Automotive Engineers on legislation related to on-board sound devices, though hasn't set a timetable for including them domestically, according to Toyota Motor Sales USA spokeswoman Jana Hartline.
Toyota's Japanese auto dealers, however, will start selling hybrid noise-makers, or what the company calls an "approaching vehicle audible system" on Aug. 30.
The device, which will cost 12,600 yen ($150), not including installation charge, will emit a synthesized sound of an electric motor when the car's in electric-only mode at speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour (16 mph), with a pitch that will rise and fall with the car's oncoming speed.
Toyota is joining a growing group of automakers responding to concerns that the relative silence of hybrids and battery-electric vehicles, especially at low speeds, may present safety problems, especially for blind, sight-impaired and hearing-impaired pedestrians.
A 2009 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that electric vehicles and hybrids with an all-electric drive mode are twice as likely as other types of vehicles to be involved in pedestrian accidents at intersections and crosswalks.
Nissan in June said a similar system would be included on the all-electric Leaf that debuts in the U.S. later this year as well as on the Infiniti M35 hybrid that goes on sale in the U.S. in 2011. General Motors has been working on a similar system for the Chevrolet Volt.
Toyota said today that it planned to sell similar devices for future conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery-electric vehicles and fuel-cell hybrid vehicles in Japan.
Danny King, Contributor
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There are some small ICE-powered cars I can't hear the engine or exhaust when they drive at 10MPH or less... so it's not unique to electric cars.
Most vision-impaired people listen for tire noise, actually, in low speed traffic environments for quiet cars...as stated the tire noise is louder than the engine.
This is a bit of overkill, IMHO.
Dr. Rings
Ophthalmologist
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