電動汽車很安靜，但也許太安靜了

電動汽車很安靜，但也許太安靜了

There's an ongoing controversy over whether electric vehicles (EVs) should emit sounds to let the blind and other pedestrians know they're on the scene. Some think those sounds should be standardized — like the "beep, beep, beep" of heavy machinery backing up, so you'll think "something heavy this way comes" when you hear it.

關于電動汽車是否應該發(fā)出聲音讓盲人和其他行人知道他們在現(xiàn)場，一直存在爭議。有些人認為這些聲音應該標準化——就像重型機械倒車時發(fā)出的“嗶，嗶，嗶”的聲音，所以當你聽到它的時候，你會認為“有重物從這邊來了”。

Several car companies have created their own sounds, especially for cars marketed outside the United States.

一些汽車公司已經(jīng)創(chuàng)造了他們自己的聲音，尤其是針對美國以外市場的汽車。

If an electric car goes down the road and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? (Photo: Scharfsinn/Shutterstock)

This is a serious subject, though. Plug-in hybrid cars and battery EVs are super-quiet, and a study at the University of California, Riverside concludes that people listening to recordings on headphones can hear a regular gas car coming from 28 feet away, but a hybrid in battery mode only when it's seven feet away.

不過，這是一個嚴肅的話題。插電式混合動力汽車和電動汽車的電池非常安靜，加州大學河濱分校的一項研究得出結論，戴耳機聽錄音的人可以聽到28英尺(約合1.8米)外的普通汽油汽車發(fā)出的聲音，但只有在7英尺(約合1.8米)外的時候，才能聽到電池模式的混合動力汽車發(fā)出的聲音。

In response, the European Union has put new rules into play: As of July 1, all new electric vehicle models must have a noise-emitting device, which sounds like a traditional engine. Starting in 2021, all new electric vehicles of any model will need the acoustic vehicle alert system or AVAS. That sound will come into play when the car is reversing or when it's traveling at less than 12 miles an hour.

作為回應，歐盟出臺了新的規(guī)定:從7月1日起，所有新型電動汽車必須配備一個噪音排放裝置，聽起來像傳統(tǒng)發(fā)動機。從2021年開始，所有新型電動汽車都將需要聲學車輛警報系統(tǒng)(AVAS)。當汽車倒車或以低于每小時12英里的速度行駛時，這種聲音就會開始發(fā)揮作用。

That's a nice start, say representatives for the blind, but more is needed.

盲人代表說，這是一個良好的開端，但還需要做得更多。

This action followed in the steps of Japan, which was an early adopter, passing its rules in 2010. Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration passed its final ruling in February 2018, requiring vehicles to emit sound if they're traveling slower than 18.6 mph.

這一行動緊隨日本的步伐，日本是最早的采納者，于2010年通過了相關規(guī)定。與此同時，2018年2月，美國國家公路交通安全管理局通過了最終裁決，要求汽車行駛速度低于18.6英里每小時時必須發(fā)出聲音。

Drivers in most instances have the ability to shut off the device when needed.

在大多數(shù)情況下，驅動程序能夠在需要時關閉設備。

My guess is that they will eventually be standardized so your mind will automatically register "electric car" when you hear it. And that's probably a good thing to reduce the mayhem on the roads.

我的猜測是，它們最終將被標準化，因此當你聽到“電動汽車”時，你的大腦將自動登記。這可能是一件好事，以減少道路上的混亂。