Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System
An Acoustic Vehicle Alert System ( AVAS for short , “vehicle warning noise generator”) is an acoustic warning system for low-noise vehicles, especially electric cars . This is an artificially generated sound that resembles an internal combustion engine . It is emitted at low speeds to inform road users about the vehicle. From a speed between 20 km / h and 30 km / h, the rolling and wind noises of the vehicle are loud enough to take on this role.
Legal background
European Union
In April 2014, has European Union , the EU regulation adopted 540/2014 on the sound level of motor vehicles. This applies directly to all vehicles in Europe . It stipulates that all electric and hybrid vehicles must be equipped with an AVAS. In October 2016 the working group on noise of the United Nations in Geneva published the standard R138 for AVAS (see legal texts) and updated it as R138.01 in November 2017. In June 2017, the European Commission adjusted its rules for the first time in accordance with the UN regulations through the 2017/1576 ordinance. A second adjustment is planned for the end of 2018 to explicitly prohibit a break switch for AVAS in Europe as well.
According to the EU and UN, the AVAS must be switched on at speeds of up to 20 km / h, even when the car is reversing. The AVAS must not be switched off as it is a safety feature. The lower limit for the AVAS noise is 56 dB (A), which roughly corresponds to the noise level of a refrigerator. The AVAS must not be louder than a comparable combustion engine, so it doesn't make the streets louder. These values are measured in the laboratory under undisturbed conditions and at a low altitude.
United States
In the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010, which went into effect January 4, 2011, the United States Department of Transportation was tasked with establishing a regulation for alarm sounds in motor vehicles to protect blind and other pedestrians. The regulation should be available within 18 months. The draft submitted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in January 2013 set the threshold at a speed of 18.6 mph (= 30 km / h). The NHTSA estimated that this measure could prevent 2,800 injuries per model year.
On the part of the automobile manufacturers, there were objections such as the one that the noise is only necessary up to a speed of 20 km / h. After several delays, also caused by the move to the Trump administration, the final ruling was enacted by the NHTSA in February 2018. The implementation by the vehicle manufacturers and importers must be completed by September 2020 at the latest, whereby it should be implemented by September 2019 for 50% of the vehicles concerned.
Technical implementation
According to the EU regulation, the acoustics of an electric vehicle should be similar to the sound of an internal combustion engine. Pitch and frequency, timbre and roughness should indicate how fast the car is driving, which size class it is to be assigned to, whether it is currently accelerating or decelerating.
Web links
- Marcel Sommer, Thomas Harloff: Mandatory sound for electric cars. The start-up noise must not be deactivated. In: auto motor und sport . September 24, 2019, accessed February 9, 2020 .
- Christoph M. Schwarzer: Prescribed dissonance: The electric car driving noise AVAS. In: electrive.net. May 21, 2019, accessed February 10, 2020 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ AVAS & Quiet Vehicles. German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, February 2019, accessed on January 27, 2020 .
- ↑ Proposal for noisier Electric Cars at Low Speed . In: The New York Times , January 7, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ↑ a b David Shepardson: US finalizes long-delayed 'quiet cars' rule, extending deadline . In: Reuters , February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ↑ Electric Cars: The Sound of the Future. In: Smarter Driving. June 21, 2018, accessed January 27, 2020 .