Electric vehicles—Safe and quiet with acoustic vehicle alerting systems?

Abstract

One of the most important environmental issues in densely populated areas is the problem of noise. Traffic noise from cars, railway vehicles and airports located in close proximity to cities is not only annoying for residents; it also leads to serious health issues and has an enormous negative economic impact. Due to this, it is of primary importance to make our cities quieter. The German Environment Agency is working on noise and its effects on humans, especially with respect to policy and regulation. Currently there is a strong debate here in Germany—as in many other parts of the world—about road vehicles that rely, in whole or in part, on alternative drive trains. On the one hand, there are positive environmental benefits expected from these “hybrid or pure electric” road vehicles. On the other hand, these vehicles are thought to pose a risk to blind and low vision pedestrians, due to their lower noise emissions at approach. To address this concern, the European Union has legislated that future hybrid and pure electric cars must be equipped with acoustic vehicle alerting systems (AVAS). The presentation provides a critical assessment of the effectiveness of AVAS and of their negative side effects.