Will the electric cars of the future be installed with some sort of compulsary sound for safety reasons?

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Richard

After narrowly avoiding getting run over I realised how much I use my ears to judge general road safety, especially in congested city centres. Then I realised that electric cars, with the capability of running completely silently, might entirely eliminate the need for one part of the 'stop, look and listen' mantra. Will these electric cars be fitted with some sort of compulsary noise box?

Answer
The answer is yes. The National Federation of the Blind (nfb.org) has actually been lobbying for this for several years now. A few months ago the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010 was singed into law requiring all vehicles to produce a minimum amount of sound while moving to alert pedestrians. Iâm not sure about the details of this act or the level of sound required, but Iâm hoping I will be able to plug in my ipod and have my hybrid constantly play Kickstart My Heart by Mötley Crüe while I drive around.

Is there a Smart Car or electric car with a backseat?

Felicity

I'd really like to get a Smart Car or an electric car but most of them only have two seats. The problem is, I have a young son who still uses a car seat and I know letting him ride in the front seat is unsafe. Do you have any ideas for a car that doesn't use gas, but has a backseat in it? Thanks.

Answer
The answer is "yes", and "it depends." There are a host of NEV (neighborhood electric vehicles) that have plenty of room but they are not highway speed electrics.

The Tango already mentioned is a very narrow vehicle with a seat in the front and one in the back. http://www.commutercars.com/

The Nissan "Leaf" is scheduled to come out in the US in the fall of 2010 and is a 5 passenger vehicle: http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index.jsp

There are also many conversions where you can buy a new vehicle and then convert it to electric or buy a vehicle already converted by someone else. here is an exhaustive list: http://eaaev.org/eaaevsforsale.html

Here is a general overview of what is on the horizon in electric vehicles: http://www.bestelectriccarsforsale.com/

To keep in touch with what is happening this site has a very broad and user friendly presentation: http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/index.jsp They have a newsletter you can sign up to receive.

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