Near-silent electric vehicles pose a danger to people with visual impairments, so engineers are studying ways to make the vehicles audible while maintaining the benefits of quieter streets.

“The electrification of mobility presents humanity with a rare opportunity to reimagine the way cities might sound,” writes John Seabrook in the New Yorker, replacing the grating noise of gas engines with the quiet smoothness of electric vehicles. But car noise can also be an important warning mechanism for people with visual impairment and all pedestrians. “Not only does engine noise announce a vehicle’s presence; it can also convey its direction, its speed, and whether it is accelerating or decelerating.”
According to a little-known 2010 Congressional act, “every E.V. and hybrid manufactured since 2020 and sold in the U.S. must come equipped with a pedestrian-warning system, also known as an acoustic vehicle alerting system (AVAS), which emits noises from external speakers when the car is travelling below eighteen and a half miles per hour.”
The article outlines the development of electric car soundscapes, which have become more specialized as research reveals the most effective sounds for both pedestrians and drivers. “Automakers have enlisted musicians and composers to assist in crafting pleasing and proprietary alert systems, as well as in-cabin chimes and tones.” The question is more complicated than one might imagine: “How do you put into regulatory legal language that a car should sound like a car?” asks John Paré of the National Federation of the Blind.
Meanwhile, electric cars must still be loud and distinctive enough to be useful. To that end, we could end up with a future just as noisy as today, “a cacophony of sound and dissonance if these cars are all singing different tunes, in different key signatures and pitches,” says Douglas Moore, a senior expert in exterior noise at General Motors.
FULL STORY: What Should a Nine-Thousand-Pound Electric Vehicle Sound Like?

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie