The Central Government is planning to introduce a new regulation on electric vehicles that will require the manufacturers to install a device- called Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS)- to generate sound if the vehicle is moving at the speed above zero to 20 kmph.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has taken this step since most of the electric vehicles, including e-rickshaws, barely emit any sound at less than 20 kmph speed, increasing the chances of accidents if road users, especially pedestrians, are not alerted with some sound.
AVAS is being mooted in the wake of the surge in the electric two- and three-wheelers and E-rickshaws have increased significantly over the years as their penetration even in the colonies of the city have gone high and they have become one of the most favoured vehicles for commuters for last mile connectivity.
The ministry has published a draft guideline on automotive industry standards requiring fitting AVAS in electric vehicles for their reduced audibility. Sources said that the matter was discussed in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules – Technical Standing Committee (CMVR-TSC), which is the apex body for setting motor vehicle safety standards, and the final regulation will be issued soon.
“When an electric vehicle moves above 20 kmph speed, it generates some sound through its tyres. However, this is not the case when it is below 20 kmph. Given the government push, the number of electric and hybrid vehicles are increasing every year and especially E-rickshaws have grown in huge numbers even in much smaller cities.
Considering the situation, there is a need to bring this regulation, so that any incident due to the sound can be avoided. Due to the quiet mode of these vehicles, Pedestrians, cyclists are not aware that a vehicle is coming from behind them, which leads to accidents,” said an officer.
The officials said that the AVAS is mandated in electric and hybrid vehicles in countries like the United States, Japan.
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The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi is also conducting a study on the need of AVAS in electric vehicles. “The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), an apex body of vehicle manufacturers, approached for this study. It is still ongoing and we have not arrived at the conclusion yet. We are looking into the different aspects of the electric vehicle to find out if AVAS is needed in the electric vehicle or not,” said Dr Anoop Chawla, professor of Mechanical Engineering, IIT-Delhi.
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