Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems: Will they affect the acceptance of electric vehicles?

Vehicles powered by electric motors can be very quiet at low speeds, which can lead to new road safety issues. The European Parliament has decided that quiet vehicles should be equipped with an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS). The main purpose of the studies presented in this paper was to investigate whether future requirements could affect people's acceptance of electric vehicles (EVs). The strategy in the first study was to create an immersive, simulated auditory environment where people could experience the sounds of future traffic situations. The second study was conducted with a car on a test track. The results suggest that the requirements are not likely to have a major negative effect on people's experience of EVs or willingness to buy an EV. However, the sounds can have a certain negative effect on emotional response and acceptance, which should be considered by manufacturers. The results of the test track study indicate that unprotected road users may appreciate the function of an AVAS sound. The work did not reveal any large differences between AVAS sounds. But in the simulated environment, sounds designed to resemble an internal combustion engine tended to receive more positive scores.