Noise-making safety device launched for near-silent EVs

A new device has been launched to warn pedestrians of a electric vehicles in motion, which are near-silent at speeds of less than 20mph.

The Quiet Vehicle Sounder is the brainchild of safety pioneer Chris Hanson-Abbott OBE, Brigade’s Chairman.
 
Blind and partially-sighted people are particularly at risk from slow moving electric vehicles, as are children. 
 
Brigade’s Quiet Vehicle Sounder is designed to save lives by producing a replacement sound when it is fitted to a quiet vehicle that is distinctive and can be heard clearly in the danger zone but less so elsewhere.
 
The sound is highly directional, enabling a pedestrian to tell where the vehicle is, and it varies in pitch and tone as the vehicle speeds up or slows down.
 
Brigade experimented with different sounds for nine years before deciding what was the best replacement for a combustion engine sound. It selected a blend of tones and frequencies generated by bbs-tek® White Sound® technology.
 
The resulting Quiet Vehicle Sounder has already received recognition in both the UK and Europe by winning Innovation of the Year in the annual Noise Abatement Society’s John Connell Awards, an Innovation Award in the SME category from CLEPA, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers, and an Environmental Award from the Dutch Congress for Sound, Vibrations & Air Quality.

New legislation which comes into force in July 2019 will require the mandatory fitment of Acoustic vehicle alerting systems (AVAS), for all new quiet (electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell) vehicle models registered after 1st September 2019 and all new vehicle registrations after 1st September 2021.