Pre-2021 Hybrids & EVs May Have To Install Noisemakers For Safety

EV and hybrid vehicles made in the past few years have come equipped with a safety feature that emits a sound to warn pedestrians when the notoriously quiet vehicles are approaching—something that isn’t a standard for EVs and hybrids made before 2021. That may change soon. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, has started an investigation as to whether older model EVs and hybrids should be retroactively fitted with the same technology for pedestrian safety.

Once initially touted as a benefit that EVs have over combustion engines, the ultra-quiet nature of EVs and hybrids has since become a safety concern since pedestrians can’t hear them when there’s potential for an accident. As a result of pedestrian accidents from the quieter electric and hybrid vehicles, a law was passed requiring them to emit noise when traveling forward or backwards and speeds approaching 20 miles per hour (it only applied to vehicles with less than a 10,000-pound gross vehicle weight). It was estimated at the time that it would prevent 2,400 pedestrian injuries annually. Now, it seems that the effectiveness of that measure is at least under consideration of being extended to EVs and hybrids that were produced before 2021.

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There are, of course, some significant challenges to putting something like this into practice. There are already millions of hybrid and EV cars on the road that were made before 2021 (roughly 9 million vehicles) and, as a result, are not outfitted to emit noise. Integrating this measure with older vehicles is not only a challenge because of the sheer number of vehicles on the road, but also because it would come at a cost that would either need to be absorbed by the owners or vehicles manufacturers, a cost that you can be sure that neither side is going to appreciate having to shoulder.

Concerns for pedestrian safety with EV and hybrid vehicles dates back as far as 2010, when the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act was passed by congress, which initiated a timeline for the implementation of the measures we’re starting to see come into effect in recent years. While it has taken some time for the standards to be established and required other laws to allow for their enforcement, it is something that has shown positive results as far as pedestrian safety, particularly for blind and visually impaired people who rely on sound cues for safety.

The scope and cost of the project are hurdles that will have to be addressed when considering any law that applies retroactively to older vehicles, but it is not without precedent. Auto makers routinely institute recalls due to faulty components on their vehicles, but it is always a logistical challenge since it’s not always easy to track down millions of drivers, inform them of the recall, and then take the necessary steps to implement the corrections that need to be made.

It will be interesting to see the next steps taken by the NHTSA as a result of the investigation, as well as how it may impact future safety considerations for EVs and hybrids going forward. We’ll keep you posted of any further developments as they unfold and present new information and laws as they come to light.