The issue of 'silent killer' electric vehicles (and how the EU is tackling it)

If you have ever been in an electric vehicle, you will know their ability to cruise along in near-silence can, like the Swiss flag, be a big plus (groan). But not everyone is happy about their ability to run quietly.

In light of concerns from road safety campaigners, all new electric and hybrid vehicles sold in Europe will have to emit a noise when travelling at low speeds. That is according to a new EU law, which is said to be coming into play in July, 2019.

Electric cars already on the road, meanwhile, will need to have a device retrofitted by the year 2021 or the owner could face some sort of punishment, likely of the monetary variety.

The idea is that adding some sort of audible warning, which most combustion engines make as standard, will help prevent cyclists, pedestrians (particularly headphone users) and those who are blind or partially-sighted from getting run over by an electric vehicle.

"The greatest risks associated with electric vehicles are when they are travelling at low speeds, such as in urban areas with lower limits, as the noise from tyres and the road surface, and aerodynamic noise, are minimal at those speeds,” said Kevin Clinton, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

The man has a point. Plug-in hybrids tend to use their electric motor when cruising at low speeds, meaning the Atkinson cycle engine or equivalent is doing anything but making a noise, while electric vehicles are always quiet.

And where are you most likely to be going slowly apart from the M25 on a sunny Bank Holiday Friday? In more densely populated urban areas where the chance of mowing someone down is greatest.

Research from the Guide Dogs charity suggests a pedestrian is 40 per cent more likely to be hit by an electricified car than a petrol or diesel equivalent. Though hard to quantify, the fact there are around 130,000 electric vehicles in the UK and that figure is rising means the problem is likely to get worse.

"The Government is spending hundreds of millions of pounds to increase the numbers of quiet cars on the roads, and while we support the development of environmentally friendly vehicles, more needs to be done to protect pedestrian safety," Guide Dogs manager James White commented.

The type of noise emitted by an electric vehicle is up for debate. Chris Hanson-Abbott, of Brigade Electronics (the company responsible for the reversing alarm back in 1976), says the ideal solution is white sound, which is easier to pinpoint than the tonal splutterings of the combustion engine.

“White sound is very pleasant," he told the Guardian newspaper. "It’s the sound of falling water. It has two unique characteristics. One is that it’s very pleasant on the ear and the second is that the source direction of that sound is instantly recognisable."

"The moment you hear white sound you can point directly at where it’s coming from. This is an incredibly valuable quality," he added.

Car manufacturers have been working on artificial sound generators, one of which uses speakers to project sound in the direction the vehicle is travelling so it is heard by those most at risk. Another similar system amplifies the supercharger-esque whine of an electric motor.

Some electric cars such as the Renault Zoe already feature the technology, with the driver able to choose one of three different preset noises.

Some of you may be thinking that perhaps common sense should prevail for able-bodied pedestrians. If you check both ways before crossing, which you really should because bicycles are also silent and capable of reasonable speed, this should be a non-issue, right?

There is some truth to that, but governments would prefer to implement safety protocols, as opposed to letting evolution do its thing. Because getting a car manufacturer to solve the problem is a lot cheaper than the resulting NHS treatment bill for a rise in broken bones.

In fairness, driving numerous electric vehicles has taught us that it is amazing how easy it is to sneak up on people in two tonnes of metal. Besides, maybe motorists will be able to choose their own noise. Now where did we put that Inception horn recording?