Gov’t may add noise-making device to quiet hybrid cars for safety

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Japan’s near-silent hybrid cars have been called dangerous by the vision-impaired and some users, prompting a government review on whether to add a noise-making device, according to an official.

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The petrol-electric vehicles, which in recent months have become the country’s top-selling autos, hum along almost soundlessly when they are switched from fuel to battery mode.

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“We have received opinions from automobile users and vision-impaired people that they feel hybrid vehicles are dangerous,” a transport ministry official said.

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“Blind people depend on sounds when they walk, but there are no engine sounds from hybrid vehicles when running at low speed” and on the electric motor, he said.

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The ministry has launched a panel of scholars, vision-impaired groups, consumers, police and the automobile industry to discuss the matter.

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“They decided to consider introducing a sound-making function” in petrol-electric hybrids when the 13-member panel held its first meeting Thursday, the official said.

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They have not decided on what kind of sound should be used, only that it should induce a response of caution, he said.

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“On the other hand, we should pay attention to residents along roads as hybrids are excellent in reducing noise,” the official added.

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The panel is expected to draw up a report by the end of the year. Its proposal will be discussed at the ministry’s committee on automobile safety before it could be drafted into legislation.

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Toyota Motor launched the world’s most popular hybrid, the Prius, in 1997.

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A cheaper, revamped Prius, rolled out in Japan in late May, has been a huge hit, drawing orders for 200,000 units, according to Toyota. It recently became the best-selling car in Japan’s domestic market.

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