Hidden danger of ‘silent’ electric vehicles

A missing requirement could be putting people at risk, prompting calls to bring Australia up to speed with the rest of the world.

Australia is an unusual exception in not requiring electric vehicles (EVs) to emit a noise when travelling at slower speeds and advocates say it is putting pedestrians at risk.

Australia is an unusual exception in not requiring electric vehicles (EVs) to emit a noise when travelling at slower speeds and advocates say it is putting pedestrians at risk.

Silent EVs, including cars, bikes and scooters, pose an even greater to those who are blind or have low vision and rely on their hearing to navigate their environment.

The US, EU and Japan all require EVs to emit a noise when travelling at low speed. Fears are Australia could become a “dumping ground” for unwanted models that don’t adhere to the same standard.

Unlike the US, EU and Japan, Australia does not require EVs to emit any sound when travelling at low speeds. Picture: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP

Vision Australia head of government relations Chris Edwards said when EVs were travelling slowly they were near impossible to detect by hearing alone.

“That impacts obviously on safety where someone might step out on the road in front of a vehicle,” he said.

“It’s not about being super initiative. It’s about literally catching Australia up with the rest of the world.”

A recent survey found 35 per cent of respondents had either been hit or had a near miss with a silent EV – a figure that will likely increase with more of them on the roads.

Mr Edwards, who is blind and uses a guide dog, said he was almost hit by an EV in a parking lot in a case where the driver was not paying attention.

He explained that not being able to reliably identify vehicles by sound affected the confidence of people like him trying to go about their lives.

Vision Australia’s Chris Edwards said having silent vehicles on the roads was hugely detrimental to the ability of blind and low-vision people to get around. Image: Supplied

“People who are blind or low vision don’t drive and they heavily rely on walking and being able to cross roads and all those sorts of things which are inherently dangerous if you can’t hear vehicles coming,” he said.

Vision Australia has been pushing the government for change since at least 2019 when then transport minister Michael McCormack initiated a regulatory review.

“Really, the last government dragged their chain on getting it done and so it hasn’t progressed anywhere near as far as expected,” Mr Edwards said.

He urged the Labor government not to waste any time passing the regulatory changes before the number of non-compliant EVs on the roads increased even further.

“We know it’s probably not likely anyone will retrofit existing cars, so we need to get this passed and done as quickly as possible,” Mr Edwards said.

“By the time 2050 comes, 90 per cent of the cars are expected to be electric and the longer we wait for it the more cars will be on the road that won’t meet our requirements.”

Originally published as Hidden danger of ‘silent’ electric vehicles