Volvo Trucks unveils extraordinary sound system for electric HGVs
To meet the new EU legislation, Volvo Trucks has developed a specific acoustic alert system for its electric models of heavy goods vehicles. It will help non-car road users to better identify the oncoming lorries. The solution will be also applicable in the US market.
As the electric trucks run very silent, this creates some inconvenience for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-car road users and even threatens their safety. To tackle this issue, the European Union will put into effect new legislation on 1 July of the current year. It requires to emit a certain sound level when running at a speed of less than 20 kilometres per hour. There are also almost identical regulations in the US for HGVs driving at 30 kilometres per hour or slower.
In both cases, an external acoustic vehicle alerting system (AVAS) must be added. And that is just what Volvo Trucks, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of HGVs, did. The Sweden-headquartered company has created a unique alert system for its electric trucks such as the Volvo FH, FM and FMX. “With our new alert system, we want to help ensure that pedestrians and cyclists notice when they are close to our electric trucks,” noted Anna Wrige Berling, Traffic and Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks.
Acoustic alert system
The acoustic alert system was developed by the acoustics experts of the Volvo Group after series of in-depth researches and tests. All the sounds were designed to be pleasant and unobtrusive, both for the driver and others close by. “The sounds are designed to not penetrate through walls. Our electric trucks will still allow for quiet night-time deliveries and contribute to better working conditions for the drivers and a quieter, cleaner environment,” added Anna Wrige Berling.
The Volvo-developed solution includes several specific sounds. Each of them is dedicated to a particular manoeuvre of the electric vehicle when travelling: moving forward, slowing down, speeding up, idling, reversing. The sounds will vary in intensity, based on truck speed and will shift in frequency during acceleration and deceleration.
To listen how the unique alert system sounds, watch the video below.