-Presentation by UTAC (France) – France Proposal for AVAS Requirements

UTAC presented recommendations including:

–Establish the Detectability of EV (with or without AVAS) based on being at least equivalent to ICE vehicles. Therefore, a minimum threshold level for AVAS could be deduced from “low noise” ICE. Also, the sound level to be generated by the AVAS should not exceed the approximate sound level of a similar vehicle of the same category equipped with an internal combustion engine and operating under the same conditions. The maximum sound level is to prevent noise annoyance in quiet urban areas, and to avoid excessive vehicle noise which might mask other important “environmental” sounds. Also, as ICE sound levels are reduced, EV sound levels should not become louder than corresponding ICE vehicles.

-Do not require sound emission in stationary condition, or consider it as an alternative (stationary or start-up/just starting).

-Consider a minimum deactivation speed sound (20 km/h) and a maximum deactivation speed (around 30 km/h). This allows manufacturers the ability to adapt speed deactivation between these two thresholds.

-Consider at least one tone in the “low frequency” range (below 800Hz) and one tone in the “high frequency” range (above 1.25kHz).

-Supports exclusion of sounds as proposed in R.E. 3.

-Pitch shifting shall be at least 8% / 10 km/h.