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Government To Require EV Noisemakers

LINK:  Potential Electric Vehicle Sounds.

LINK:  Ford Facebook page on EV Sounds.

WASHINGTON (WWJ) Electric vehicles are about to become a little less quiet.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun the process of writing rules for noisemakers on electric cars, and certain hybrids, so that the visually impaired will know the vehicles are coming.

"America's streets must be safe for everyone who uses them," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, in a statement. "As we improve the environment with cleaner cars, we must also consider how it affects those on bikes and on foot."

LaHood says NHTSA is required to do this by the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010.  They will spend time examining the issue, and expect to have some sort of rule in place in July of 2012.

"Even as we make giant leaps forward with hybrid and electric vehicles, we must remain laser focused on safety," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, in a statement. "With more and more quiet vehicles on the road, we have to consider their effect on pedestrians."

The two electric vehicles currently on the road—the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt—have noisemakers on board, but they are very different.  The Leaf generates a sound at low speed.  The Volt has a way for the driver to sound a soft beep, that lets pedestrians know there's a vehicle coming.

Ford will have an electric version of its Focus coming out next year.  It's using Facebook to get feedback from would be buyers.

Rule makers are expected to look for a consistent sound, that would come from the vehicle at low speeds that could be instantly recognized as coming from a car or truck.

Follow Jeff Gilbert on Twitter @jefferygilbert

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