[Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds ofsilence? Information Article

Sat Jul 10 04:21:02 UTC 2010

Dear Bob,

Thanks for the info about the new Volvo.  The Stearns Amendment is not 
walking away from technology such as this, which sounds like a clear benefit 
to pedestrians and drivers.  It is not an either/or proposition.  However, 
the Volvo system goes into effect when a pedestrian has stepped into the 
road in front of a car and is clearly in danger; a warning sound, such as 
that called for in the Stearns Amendment, may prevent pedestrians from 
stepping into a car's path in the first place.  As the old adage says, an 
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Debbie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Wilson" <bwilson4web at hotmail.com>
To: <quietcars at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, July 05, 2010 8:23 PM
Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds ofsilence? 
Information Article

>
> Hi,
>
> I was just reading this article about the new Volvo:
> http://www.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1046844_2011-volvo-v60-wagon-makes-debut
>
> ". . .
> There's also an advanced Pedestrian Detection safety system
> that can detect pedestrians who walk into the road in front of the car,
> warn the driver--and automatically apply full braking power if the
> driver does not respond in time. In an emergency situation the driver
> first receives an audible warning combined with a flashing light in the
> windscreen's head-up display. At the same time, the car's brakes are
> pre-charged. If the driver does not react to the warning and an
> accident is imminent, full braking power is automatically applied.
> . . ."
>
> This is the technology that the Sterns Amendment is walking away from.
>
> Bob Wilson
>
>> Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 11:32:09 -0400
>> From: mrtownsend at optonline.net
>> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds of silence? 
>> Information Article
>>
>> A really well written article that doesn't play the blame game as many
>> articles on this and other lists do.
>>
>> Mike T in NJ
>>
>>
>> Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds of silence?
>>
>> By KEN THOMAS
>> July 4, 2010 - 9:18am
>>
>> WASHINGTON (AP) - The age of the silent hybrid may be coming to an end.
>>
>> Gas-electric hybrids, propelled by electric motors at low speeds, are
>> well-known for their quiet ride and great mileage. But their silence 
>> isn't
>> always golden.
>>
>> Some researchers and safety groups say that quiet operation _ "hybrid 
>> creep"
>> _ can pose risks for unsuspecting pedestrians and the blind, who use 
>> sound
>> cues.
>>
>> Advocates for the blind have sought the addition of artificial noises in
>> hybrids for several years, concerned that the expected sales growth of
>> hybrids could lead to more pedestrian fatalities and injuries. Hybrids
>> account for about 2 percent of new car sales each year but auto companies
>> are expected to boost production in advance of tougher fuel efficiency
>> standards this decade.
>>
>> "This is an example of too much of a good thing," said John Pare, 
>> executive
>> director for strategic initiatives with the National Federation of the
>> Blind. "Cars got quieter, that was good. Suddenly they got to be so quiet
>> that it added an element of danger."
>>
>> The government's auto safety agency said in a research report last year 
>> that
>> hybrid vehicles are twice as likely to be involved in pedestrian crashes 
>> at
>> low speeds compared with cars with conventional engines. The study by the
>> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration examined circumstances in
>> which the vehicles were slowing down or coming to a stop, backing up or
>> entering or departing a parking space.
>>
>> More than 4,300 pedestrians were killed in 2008, according to the most
>> recent data available. The government has been researching the safety 
>> risks
>> that hybrids and electrics could pose for pedestrians, particularly the
>> blind, along with the elderly and children, for vehicles traveling at 20 
>> mph
>> or less. When a car is going faster, the friction between the tire and 
>> the
>> road's surface makes the vehicle louder.
>>
>> The quiet hybrid phenomenon already has its place in pop culture. In an
>> episode of NBC's "The Office," paper salesman Andy Bernard uses his 
>> stealthy
>> blue Toyota Prius to sneak up on Dwight Schrute and pin his bitter rival
>> against a hedge. One concerned co-worker, watching the unfolding drama, 
>> says
>> "the Prius is silent if he keeps it under 5 miles per hour."
>>
>> Congress is heeding the warnings, adding sound performance requirements 
>> for
>> hybrids and electric cars to an auto safety bill being considered after 
>> the
>> massive Toyota recalls. Lawmakers could consider the changes this summer 
>> and
>> car companies most likely would have to have the sounds ready to go three
>> years after the release of new government rules.
>>
>> Automakers helped develop the proposal in Congress and are moving forward
>> with new artificial sounds that will be emitted from electric cars and
>> future hybrid models.
>>
>> Nissan Motor Corp. has produced distinct sounds for the Leaf, the 
>> electric
>> car expected to go on sale this year, when the vehicle accelerates or 
>> moves
>> in reverse. When the Leaf speeds up to 20 mph, it automatically will use 
>> a
>> soft whirring sound that changes pitch as the car accelerates. When the 
>> Leaf
>> backs up, an intermittent bell will ring to warn those nearby.
>>
>> The Japanese automaker consulted with acoustic psychologists and 
>> Hollywood
>> sound designers to find a tone that addresses drivers, pedestrians and 
>> the
>> community.
>>
>> "It was kind of like peeling back an onion. The more we worked on it, the
>> more issues came up, the more of a balancing act it became," said Andy
>> Christensen, a manager with Nissan's North American Technical Center near
>> Detroit. Nissan plans to use the sounds on the Infiniti M35 hybrid to be
>> released in 2012.
>>
>> General Motors Co. wanted a more subtle chirp on its Chevrolet Volt, so 
>> it
>> chose an alert horn that lets the driver warn an unknowing bystander.
>>
>> "We didn't want to blast the horn at them and figuratively smack the 
>> people
>> in the nose," said Doug Moore, a vehicle performance engineer for the 
>> Volt
>> project. "We just wanted to tap them on the shoulder and say, 'Hey I'm
>> here.'"
>>
>> Other automakers are hard at work, too.
>>
>> Toyota Motor Corp., which makes the top-selling Prius hybrid, is studying
>> artificial sounds for hybrids when the vehicle is propelled by its 
>> electric
>> motor at low speeds. Ford Motor Co. is working to bring external sounds 
>> to
>> future hybrids and electrics, including its Focus electric car, expected 
>> in
>> 2011, and a next-generation hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicle planned for
>> 2012.
>>
>> Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of global electrification, said car 
>> companies
>> should consider standardizing tones from future hybrids and electrics to
>> avoid a cacophony of confusion on the streets.
>>
>> "It can't be like cell phones where we all select our own sound and we 
>> tune
>> out everybody else's but our own," Gioia said.
>>
>> Some green car advocates have questioned the need for the extra tones and
>> noted that the requirement could add more noise to neighborhoods. Paul
>> Scott, vice president of Plug In America, said the sounds could help 
>> under
>> certain circumstances, but drivers should have the right to activate the
>> tones.
>>
>> "After hearing how innocuous the Nissan Leaf sound is, maybe it'll be a
>> minor irritant for us, but I suspect people will tire of it eventually 
>> and
>> seek ways to disable the noise," Scott said in an e-mail from Japan, 
>> where
>> he was test-driving the car.
>>
>> Les Blomberg, who is the founder of the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, 
>> said
>> reducing noise from the loudest vehicles, such as trucks, buses and
>> motorcycles, would increase the ability of pedestrians to detect sound.
>> Adding sounds to hybrids, however, would simply enhance noise pollution 
>> and
>> make it more difficult to hear an individual vehicle in traffic.
>>
>>
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