Car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz are working on developing a new warning sound generator on their electric vehicle range to meet mandatory regulations put in place on 1 July 2019 that required all electric vehicles in Europe to have a warning sound generator installed.

Under a new European Union (EU) directive, all newly certified hybrid, electric and fuel-cell vehicles must come equipped with an acoustic vehicle alerting system (AVAS) for the protection of other road users.

This warning is mandatory to be audible up to a speed of 20km/h and must abide by certain minimum and maximum volume guidelines and sound components. It is prohibited in almost all countries to alter or turn off the AVAS.

The team at the Mercedes-Benz Technology Centre (MTC) in Sindelfingen are working on developing an individually configured e-sound for each electric model of vehicle they produce. Using special microphones, simulations are run and improved until the result of the e-sound is perfect.

The AVAS sound developed at Mercedes-Benz differs slightly by region, with vehicles in the USA undergoing further tests for stricter requirements.

Original source: The national Collision Repairer | A warning sound is mandatory for electric vehicles

24 JULY 2019