The new noise offered by the Chevrolet Volt is one that’s supposed to be less intrusive and feel more natural than others.
You might not have ever thought you would need to add noise to a vehicle to increase the levels of safety, but you do. Now that we’re in a world where more EV and PHEV models are offered for the drive, these quiet vehicles need to be a bit noisier. Unfortunately, a pedestrian is more likely to be hit by a quiet hybrid vehicle than one that makes a normal amount of noise. Because of this, automakers are required to add noise to these vehicles at specific speeds in order to warn us that the vehicle is on the road.
The New Noise of the Chevrolet Volt
This noise is sounded at lower speeds to make sure people know the car is on the roads in the city streets. There was a noise offered in the past, but Chevy has upgraded this noise to make sure you can hear it more easily when this vehicle is nearby. The idea is also to make sure this noise doesn’t enter the cabin while you’re behind the wheel.
The Noise is Required
The DOT requires that all EV and PHEV models have some form of a government-approved noise at speeds below 18.6 mph and this was supposed to be part of the vehicle by September 1stof this year. The tone isn’t standardized, which allows automakers to come up with the noise they want to offer. Many of them add a low-frequency hum or buzzing noise to the vehicle to make sure a pedestrian can hear it when it’s time to take the car out on the road for a great drive.
What Does the Chevy Volt Offer for Noise
There’s a noticeable tone that’s deliberately offered for the Chevy Volt to make sure you can have the sounds required. This sound is easy to hear when outside the car, but not on the inside. An external speaker emits the noise in either drive or reverse with the volume increasing to match the speed of the vehicle and let pedestrians know you’re speeding up. This increase in sound will help reduce the increased likelihood that you would hit a pedestrian or cyclist on the road with the quiet car that you choose to drive.
More for the New Volt
While we’ve discussed the new sounds of the Chevy Volt being offered, that’s not the only part of this car that has been improved. Chevrolet wants to make it more feasible for owners to make use of this car as an EV without relying as heavily on the gasoline engine for the drive. With this in mind, the range has been extended and the charging time has been reduced to make sure you can drive this car and use the EV mode more often. The new Volt is certainly taking steps forward for safety and efficiency and we admire it for both.
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