February 4, 2013 t 25
USED CAR NEWS
City Dwellers Like EVs
While sales of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) have fallen short of projections to date, interest in these vehicles is growing, particularly in large metropolitan areas. Cities like New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle combine large population areas with early rollout schedules from vehicle manufacturers, and positive attitudes toward electric vehicles among residents, making them fertile ground for electric vehicle manufacturers in the coming years. According to a recent report from Pike Research, a part of Navigant’s Energy Practice, sales of electric
vehicles in the largest 102 cities in the United States will total slightly more than 1.8 million from 2012 through 2020. The report’s analysis indicates that PEV acceptance is strongly linked to not only the availability of PEV models, but also the accessibility of charging infrastructure. Texas, for example, has seen a dramatic increase in the number of EV charging stations available in 2012. Pike Research’s index of positive opinions toward electric vehicles moved the state’s ranking from 42nd in 2010 to fourth in 2012, the largest change of any state in the index.
Feds Want Noisier Hybrids As required by the bipartisan Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010 (PSEA), the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing that hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound standards in order to help make all pedestrians more aware of the approaching vehicles. Electric and hybrid vehicles do not rely on traditional gas or dieselpowered engines at low speeds. This makes them much quieter and their approach difficult to detect. The proposed standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 141, would fulfill Congress’ mandate in the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act that hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound requirements so that pedestrians are able to detect the presence, direction and location of these vehicles when they are operating at low speeds. The sounds would need to be detectable under a wide range of street noises and other ambient back-
UCN_25.indd 1
ground sounds when the vehicle is traveling under 18 miles per hour. At 18 miles per hour and above, vehicles make sufficient noise to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to detect them without added sound. Each auto manufacturer would have a significant range of choices about the sounds it chooses for its vehicles. However, the characteristics of those sounds would need to meet certain minimum requirements. In addition, each vehicle of the same make and model would need to emit the same sound or set of sounds. NHTSA estimates that if this proposal were implemented there would be 2,800 fewer pedestrian and pedal cyclist injuries over the life of each model year of hybrid cars, trucks and vans and low speed vehicles, as compared to vehicles without sound. NHTSA has sent the proposal to the Federal Register. Upon publication, the public will have 60 days to submit comments on this NHTSA action.
BB&T
1/28/13 9:22 AM