Auto Car | Prius gets sound option to protect pedestrians | Toyota's Prius hybrid is becoming a little less quiet with a new electronic humming device that is the automaker's answer to complaints that pedestrians can't hear the top-selling car approaching.
The 12 600 yen (R1100) speaker system that goes under the bonnet of the third-generation Prius makes a whirring sound designed to be about the same noise level as a conventional car engine so that it isn't annoying, says Toyota.
It will go on sale in Japan on August 30 and owners will pay extra for installation charges. Its use is voluntary.
Toyota spokeswoman Monika Saito said overseas sales plans were still undecided but Toyota was studying regulations and considering offering it in the US and other markets
The petrol-electric hybrid has low fuel consumption but is also very quiet because it runs as an electric car much of the time. That has drawn complaints that pedestrians, the blind in particular, are at greater risk of being hit by the car, especially at low speeds.
The US government's auto safety agency found in a 2009 research report that hybrids were twice as likely to be involved in pedestrian crashes at low speeds than cars with conventional engines.
Toyota said it planned versions of the device for other hybrid models, plug-ins, battery cars and fuel-cell vehicles.
Pedestrian deaths compared to overall traffic fatalities are higher in Japan than in the US and many other nations because of Japan's narrow, crowded streets
The humming is barely audible in a noisy street but can be a lifesaver in quieter environments
Toyota said the device was based on guidelines addressing the dangers of silent cars, including hybrids, issued in January 2010 by the Japanese government.
Other automakers, including General Motors, Ford and Nissan, are also working on countermeasures to make quiet ecological cars safer.
The Prius device's humming is so soft it is barely audible in a noisy street but can be a lifesaver in quieter environments. It can be turned off with a switch but goes on automatically every time the car starts.
The Prius has been the top-selling car in Japan for the past 15 consecutive months, benefiting from incentives designed to boost sales of "green" cars.
Toyota has sold nearly 337 000 third-generation Prius cars in Japan and more than 2.68-million hybrids around the world so far, a million of them in Japan.
(www.motoring.co.za)
The 12 600 yen (R1100) speaker system that goes under the bonnet of the third-generation Prius makes a whirring sound designed to be about the same noise level as a conventional car engine so that it isn't annoying, says Toyota.
It will go on sale in Japan on August 30 and owners will pay extra for installation charges. Its use is voluntary.
Toyota spokeswoman Monika Saito said overseas sales plans were still undecided but Toyota was studying regulations and considering offering it in the US and other markets
The petrol-electric hybrid has low fuel consumption but is also very quiet because it runs as an electric car much of the time. That has drawn complaints that pedestrians, the blind in particular, are at greater risk of being hit by the car, especially at low speeds.
The US government's auto safety agency found in a 2009 research report that hybrids were twice as likely to be involved in pedestrian crashes at low speeds than cars with conventional engines.
Toyota said it planned versions of the device for other hybrid models, plug-ins, battery cars and fuel-cell vehicles.
Pedestrian deaths compared to overall traffic fatalities are higher in Japan than in the US and many other nations because of Japan's narrow, crowded streets
The humming is barely audible in a noisy street but can be a lifesaver in quieter environments
Toyota said the device was based on guidelines addressing the dangers of silent cars, including hybrids, issued in January 2010 by the Japanese government.
Other automakers, including General Motors, Ford and Nissan, are also working on countermeasures to make quiet ecological cars safer.
The Prius device's humming is so soft it is barely audible in a noisy street but can be a lifesaver in quieter environments. It can be turned off with a switch but goes on automatically every time the car starts.
The Prius has been the top-selling car in Japan for the past 15 consecutive months, benefiting from incentives designed to boost sales of "green" cars.
Toyota has sold nearly 337 000 third-generation Prius cars in Japan and more than 2.68-million hybrids around the world so far, a million of them in Japan.
(www.motoring.co.za)
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