DATES: The rule becomes effective on February 13, 2017. (By Notice Published in the Federal Register on March 21, 2017, the effective date of the rule was postponed until May 22, 2017.) Initial compliance according to a phase in schedule begins September 2018. Full compliance must exist by September 2019. Petitions for Reconsideration must be filed by January 30, 2017.
PURPOSE: Hybrid and electric vehicles are more prone to get into crashes with pedestrians and cyclists than vehicles with internal combustion engines. At least some of the cause is based upon the hybrid and electric vehicles having lower sound levels than conventional vehicles at low speeds.
FINAL RULE: The Final Rule proposes minimum sound level requirements for hybrid and electric vehicles when going forward at speeds less than 30kmh while stationary, and when backing up.
- The final rule applies only to four-wheeled hybrid and electric vehicles with a GVWR of 10,000 lbs. or less.
- To comply with this final rule, hybrid and electric vehicles will have to meet a requirement specifying either two or four one-third octave bands.
o Vehicles complying with the four-band requirement must meet minimum sound pressure levels in any four non-adjacent one-third octave bands between 315 Hz and 5000 Hz, including the one-third octave bands between 630 Hz and 1600 Hz (these bands were excluded in the NPRM).
o Vehicles complying with the two-band requirement must meet minimum sound pressure levels in two non-adjacent one-third octave bands between 315 Hz and 3150 Hz. For the two-band requirement, one band must be below 1000 Hz and the second band must be at or above 1000 Hz, and the two bands used to meet the two-band requirement also must meet a minimum band sum requirement.
- The final rule assists pedestrians in detecting increases in vehicle speed by requiring vehicle- emitted sound to increase in sound pressure level by a specified amount as the vehicle’s speed increases.
- In order to ensure that hybrid and electric vehicles of the same make, model, and model year emit the same sound, as required by the PSEA, NHTSA decided to require that all vehicles of the same make, model, and model year use the same alert system hardware and software, including specific items such as the same digital sound file where applicable, to produce sound used to meet the minimum sound requirements in the final rule.
- In the final rule, NHTSA modified the phase-in schedule to provide additional time for compliance for manufacturers of light vehicles; 50 percent of each manufacturer’s HV and EV production must comply with this final rule one year before the date for full compliance established in the PSEA of September 1, 2019.
