Electric cars in EU to be required to make noise

Each new electric car in the European Union with four or more wheels will need to have the acoustic vehicle alerting system (AVAS) installed from July 1, 2019. The device will make a continuous noise of 56 to 75 decibels if the vehicle is moving at up to 20 km/h.

As specialized car magazines throughout the EU write, in a few weeks, when the new law comes into effect, pedestrians will be able to relax when it comes to interacting with the traffic.

The new law, which was passed after the public criticism due to the inability to hear electric vehicles, making them dangerous to other participants in the traffic, proscribes the installation of the AVAS only in electric cars, not electric motorcycles, but doesn't specify the tonality of the sound itself.

The regulation has already been taken into consideration by some car manufacturers. The British Jaguar, for example, has equipped its electric cars with an AVAS whose sounds resemble that of a spaceship, whereas Germany's BMW has opted for the classic sound of the petrol engine.

The proscribed 56 decibels is not too loud, considering that, for example, a diesel truck produces around 85 decibels while passing a crosswalk.

Certain car magazines write that 56 decibels is the level of noise produced by an air conditioning device or an electric toothbrush, which means that pedestrians with headphones will not be able to hear the new electric cars either.

Jaguar Cars Ltd Warwickshire - UK

BMW Group München

Jaguar Great Britain

BMW Germany

electric cars

acoustic vehicle alerting system

AVAS

silent electric vehicles