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

Sat Jul 10 04:45:57 UTC 2010

I see this  Volvo system and others like this as an advantage.  

A warning may serve to alert a blind pedestrian or an otherwise able bodied
pedestrian who may either approach or walk n front of a car, but reaction
time in a situation might not be good, as the pedestrian and driver may have
all they can do to deal with the issues at hand.  Thus, the Volvo Prius,
Mercedes and Audi systems that are enacted to avoid hitting a pedestrian may
be, in fact, better than the initial alert sound, as they can actually
prevent the accident rather than exacerbate the issue with warning bells or
whistles and a driver who is incompetent behind the wheel.  
No offense, Deb, but we have to take all of the help we can get, be it
technology on the high or low end of the scale.

Mike T

-----Original Message-----
From: quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Deborah Kent Stein
Sent: Saturday, July 10, 2010 12:21 AM
To: Discussion of new quiet cars and pedestrian safety
Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds
ofsilence?Information Article

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-make
s-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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