Starting next year, some of London's electric buses will produce an artificial sound when traveling at low speeds, so they can be heard when they arrive behind pedestrians or at intersections, reducing the risk of accidents. The sound was developed by Zelig Sound, a company that has been collaborating for some time with the London transport company (Transport for London), and unlike other solutions with the classic repeated biiips, it experiences a more enveloping and a little hypnotic sound.
The addition of sound to electric buses is a consequence of the new rules of the European Union, which require electric vehicles to produce some noise when traveling at low speed, in order to compensate for the lack of an internal combustion engine that produces the classic noise of petrol and diesel vehicles. The regulation also affects the United Kingdom, although it is about to leave the European Union through Brexit.
When the bus is stopped, for example at a traffic light or at a bus stop, it will produce this sound:
When it starts moving again, it will instead produce a slightly different sound, with the addition of some elements compared to that thought for when it is stopped:
The sound will be produced by electric buses when traveling at speeds below 20 kilometers per hour, and should have a noise level of 56 dB, as required by European rules. At higher speeds, the noise of the tires on the asphalt and the air on the surfaces of the bus will be sufficient to hear the vehicle approaching.
Transport for London plans to apply the new system to a limited number of buses across major routes. An experiment conducted in recent months in Tottenham has given positive results, and has also involved organizations that provide help and assistance to disabled people, people most at risk when they are around a silent electric vehicle in motion.
In London there are about 8,000 double-decker buses, the classic red ones, and only 200 of these are electric for now, so the change will affect a small fraction of the entire fleet. The introduction of the new sounds will make it possible to verify their effectiveness in already noisy environments, such as those of the busiest streets of the city.
