Here’s an interesting development from Japan, that has also been bubbling in the U.S.: Are hybrids TOO quiet?
Within the past year, a group for the sight impaired asked the California State Legislature to look into the issue, and now, it seems, it has also cropped up in Japan. When I first heard about this, I thought it was a bit of over-functioning, then I saw a blind guy nearly get nailed by an inattentive Prius driver in front of my house one day.
In Japan, hybrids are very popular, in fact, they’ve taken the top sales spots in Japan for the last few months. They’re so popular that Japan’s Transport Ministry is starting an investigation to decide if hybrids should emit an artificial sound when operating on just the batteries. It’s ironic, if you think about it. One of the things that greenies really like about hybrids, and by extension, EVs, is that they are quieter than internal combustion powered cars.
According to AutoBlogGreen, the Japanese government has set up a 13-member panel of scholars, vision-impaired groups, consumers, police and automobile industry officials to “decided to consider introducing a sound-making function” on all hybrids. The panel hasn’t made any recommendations, nor have they said just what sound the hybrids should make. It has also occurred to the Japanese officials that maybe having noisy hybrids isn’t the answer. “On the other hand, we should pay attention to residents (along roads) as hybrids are excellent in reducing noise,” said an unnamed Transport Ministry official.
Source: AutoBlogGreen
we have also to take into consideration the welfare of the handicapped as we care for the environment by using these hybrid vehicles
This is ridiculous the world is too freaking noisy as it is. Now we are gonna regulate noise?? How about setting up some radio thing that has a short range and causes a something to beep for blind people rather then making all the rest of the world suffer more noise!