Petitioner Asks NHTSA to Require Noisemakers on Older EVs

Without the need for thousands of tiny explosions and burning liquid dinosaurs, electric vehicles are considerably quieter than those powered by internal combustion. Even so, EVs are required to make noise when traveling slowly, so they don’t surprise pedestrians. The rules cover vehicles manufactured since March 2021, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received a petition to extend the policy.

The current rules were passed in 2018, requiring all EVs and hybrids with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less to have external sound-making equipment to alert nearby pedestrians. It’s why some EVs sound like spaceships in parking garages, and many models beep like dump trucks when backing up. The petitioner wants the NHTSA to declare a defect for vehicles lacking the technology and require older vehicles to be updated.

The NHTSA recently opened an investigation into the subject, which could eventually involve vehicles from Nissan, VW, Jaguar, Mazda, Hyundai, Chrysler, Ford, BMW, Porsche, and many others. If the NHTSA determines that there is a safety defect related to older EV and hybrid models, as many as 9.1 million vehicles could be involved.

If the NHTSA finds in favor of the petitioner, a potential safety recall could be expensive for automakers. The costs for retrofitting noisemakers onto older models, installing speed sensors, and other parts for 9.1 million cars will quickly climb into the millions. 

[Image: T. Schneider via Shutterstock]

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