Hugo Fastl in his Soundstudio. (Picture: Uli Benz / TUM)
Research news - The almost complete silence of the motors used in electric cars may pose a hazard to inattentive pedestrians. As a result, starting in summer 2019 all new electric and hybrid vehicles will have to be equipped with an acoustic warning system. Psychoacousticians at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are developing the corresponding sounds. It's supposed to sound similar to a vehicle - but not exactly the same as a diesel or gasoline-powered vehicle. The specifications for an Acoustic Vehicle Alert System warning sound that electric and hybrid vehicles will have to emit starting in the summer of 2019 are fairly general. Although playing a musical piece is not allowed, the nature of the sound with which individual approaching vehicles will warn pedestrians is being left up to manufacturers. One example of how the signal should sound can be found on the Internet page of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE): The listener is immediately reminded of a spaceship taking off or an effect from a science fiction series.
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