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

Sat Jul 10 20:08:58 UTC 2010

Thanks!

Debbie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "michael townsend" <mrtownsend at optonline.net>
To: "'Discussion of new quiet cars and pedestrian safety'" 
<quietcars at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 10, 2010 12:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds 
ofsilence?Information Article

> Deb, I'll try and sort this out for you.
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jCEfT3hkLPgHtx2qPCw1T8ETaV
> QgD9GO7F600
>
>
> -----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 12:50 PM
> To: Discussion of new quiet cars and pedestrian safety
> Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Quiet hybrids: An end to their sounds
> ofsilence?Information Article
>
>
>
> Dear Mike,
>
> This is a very nice article.  If you can send me the URL we might put it 
> on
> the quiet cars website.  Do you have more information on where it came 
> from?
>
> Debbie
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "michael townsend" <mrtownsend at optonline.net>
> To: <quietcars at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, July 05, 2010 10:32 AM
> 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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