to feel a concern about electric transport?

firthy85 · 2021-03-19T17:05:23+00:00

hello. i am a disabled person who wonders about the safety for pedestrians once all vehicles become electric. i am visually impaired so i rely on my hearing. i walk with a white stick. all these vehicles do appear to be very quiet meaning you may hear what seems like a quiet engine and step out to cross a road thinking it's clear to walk over the road. nobody seems to think or be talking about this. aibu to think more should be talked about to help this situation? you must have elderly relatives or a disabled dc what do you think? we seem blinded by the green issue rather than the overall situation that faces people daily.

bigbluebus · 19/03/2021 17:23

Having nearly been run over by an electric vehicle on a country lane because I didn't hear it, I really hope that they insist on adding noise of some sort to the car engine - and I don't have any disabilities or heaing issues. We live in a rural area with very few pavements and we do a lot of walking and cycling. Fortunately there aren't many electric cars around here at the moment as there are hardly any charging points and pre-covid, people would be driving long distances. But as the numbers increase there really does need to be compulsory noise in them.

Original poster

firthy85 · 19/03/2021 19:37

@bigbluebus. considering this is aibu i thought more people may have an opinion. i have non problem with progress if it does benefit everyone who walks drives and cycles. but it seems that's not so

OP posts:

imyournextdoorneighbour · 19/03/2021 20:01

I drive a hybrid, when in electric mode over 9 miles an hour it has fake engine noise, I thought they had to by law?

ThatOtherPoster · 19/03/2021 20:09

A charity for blind people successfully got the law changed on this, and now all new electric cars have to make a noise. The existing older electric cars are still silent, but all new ones are noisy.

I agree, it’s ridiculous for cars to be silent! Who would EVER have thought that’d be a good idea? (You just know it was a man.)

CuthbertDibbleandGrubb · 19/03/2021 20:13

I thought there was a plan to require them to make a limited amount of noise for that very reason, so you knew they were there.

littlepattilou · 19/03/2021 20:16

@firthy85

YANBU. But I wouldn't worry too much just yet. No WAY is every person in this country going to be driving an electric vehicle by 2030 like the Government keep saying/hoping. It's not gonna happen.

I am sick of the ludicrous amount of electric car adverts to be honest, like we should ALL be getting one. They are being rammed down our throat like fucking smart meters!

The vast majority of people in this country simply cannot afford a new electric vehicle, and probably won't be able to in 5 years, or even 10.

Also, the logistics of it (everyone having their own charging point, dozens of them having to be installed in every petrol station, the time it takes to charge each vehicle and so on,) are going to make it a LOT longer than 9 years before every person in the UK has an electric car.

And as I said, the amount of adverts promoting them are pissing me off. Like everyone can afford an electric car, at an average of £20,000. And the average of 110 to 125 miles per charge, is going to be untenable for some. (Also, the cheaper the car, the longer it takes to charge, and the less time the charge lasts.)

I think the sentiment is OK (to try and save the planet!) but no way is everyone in the UK going to be driving an electric car within 9 years. (Possibly 30-35 years from now, but not 9 years, no way.)

Bargebill19 · 19/03/2021 20:20

You are not alone op. We live with our drive exit on a bridge and blind bend combined. We rely on hearing traffics coming in order to leave safely. Cannot put up a mirror as it’s a heritage bridge. Someone local has an electric car - we can’t hear it - it is silent - and they won’t use their horn on approaching the bridge. I know one day there will be an accident.

SquishySquirmy · 19/03/2021 20:23

I have an electric car, but it plays (weird creepy) music when driving. I thought that most new electric cars have sound added now, for safety reasons.

Bargebill19 · 19/03/2021 20:25

Our local one either is slightly older and doesn’t have sound or there is a way to turn it off. Either way - using a horn would help a lot.

SquishySquirmy · 19/03/2021 20:29

The 2030 target includes hybrids I think. So easy to get around... a predominantly petrol car that can run off a small battery for 3 miles would count!
And it's only new cars that will be "hybrid" or electric by 2030. Petrol and diesel cars will still be on the roads for a while after 2030.
Electric car usage will rise, and needs to be made safe, but it's not like all existing petrol cars will be destroyed by 2030.
Important to remember that petrol cars have their own health risks... air pollution (especially in cities) kills.

SquishySquirmy · 19/03/2021 20:30

It is twatty to not use a horn in that situation I agree, Bargebill

Biribift · 19/03/2021 20:42

I have an electric car but it makes a sound like a whine when I'm driving it, people do appear to hear me coming because I've been down a few country paths where pedestrians are on the road and they've stepped to the side without looking back.

Original poster

firthy85 · 20/03/2021 08:28

ah interesting. i didn't know the law had been changed meaning these electric vehicles had to make some kind of a sound on approach. i do agree in covid times and i think for a long while when it is all over people are not going to afford to buy an electric vehicle. some people even now are struggling to pay the basic of living expenses.

OP posts:

The3Ls · 20/03/2021 08:57

My electric car is pretty silent I a very aware of this and try and take extra care. It is due for trade in in Dec (3 year lease) and my new one will have a noise simulator. So hopefully they gradually fade out. However you d think they be able to add noise - we asked can't yet. As there will soon e a reasonable market of second had ones

The3Ls · 20/03/2021 09:00

Randomly we are a deaf family but still noticed in car parks people weren't hearing us

Frazzled2207 · 20/03/2021 09:01

I have an electric it has
an “optional” noise setting.
All new cars have to have it as standard and
I don’t think it’s optional anymore for reasons you describe.

Yanbu to be worried about this but the benefits of moving away from fossil fuel cars are tremendous and the problem is being fixed. Even better though would be less cars

Frazzled2207 · 20/03/2021 09:10

[quote littlepattilou]@firthy85

YANBU. But I wouldn't worry too much just yet. No WAY is every person in this country going to be driving an electric vehicle by 2030 like the Government keep saying/hoping. It's not gonna happen.

I am sick of the ludicrous amount of electric car adverts to be honest, like we should ALL be getting one. They are being rammed down our throat like fucking smart meters!

The vast majority of people in this country simply cannot afford a new electric vehicle, and probably won't be able to in 5 years, or even 10.

Also, the logistics of it (everyone having their own charging point, dozens of them having to be installed in every petrol station, the time it takes to charge each vehicle and so on,) are going to make it a LOT longer than 9 years before every person in the UK has an electric car.

And as I said, the amount of adverts promoting them are pissing me off. Like everyone can afford an electric car, at an average of £20,000. And the average of 110 to 125 miles per charge, is going to be untenable for some. (Also, the cheaper the car, the longer it takes to charge, and the less time the charge lasts.)

I think the sentiment is OK (to try and save the planet!) but no way is everyone in the UK going to be driving an electric car within 9 years. (Possibly 30-35 years from now, but not 9 years, no way.)[/quote]
Don’t want to derail-
I agree with you that most of us won’t be driving an EV in 9 years. But many will. They are expensive to buy,new but there is a decent 2nd hand market now. But consider that they cost very little to run. Servicing is a lot cheaper as nothing to go wrong. A lot is said about the difficulties Charging- we can charge from home using a 3 point plug quite happily. Use public charger when on holiday only. Bil bought a second hand EV for about £6k and again it costs almost nothing to run. In the longer run they will be cheaper than traditional vehicles there’s no doubt about it. We bought our EV for environmental reasons but actually it makes financial sense too if you have the money to buy in the first place (of course not everyone does)

You’re wrong about the cheaper EVs taking longer to charge btw. It depends on the type of charger you’re using. Everyone I know with one just charges it overnight at home. Yes you can install a fancy fast charger (for any kind of EV) but a 3 point plug works just fine.

AllisoninWunderland · 20/03/2021 09:15

I agree OP. I’ve thought the same thing in relation to my children and my cat crossing our road. So I can understand your concern.

It lends a new meaning to ‘stop, look and listen’.

Tal45 · 20/03/2021 09:15

I don't understand how electric cars are so much greener? I appreciate that the cars themselves are great for emissions but where is all the electricity for the whole country to be using these cars coming from? Is the whole country going to be covered in solar panel 'farms' and super ugly wind turbines? Or from nuclear (the waste certainly isn't green) or from coal - not green. I just don't get it.

I think it's like when they decided diesel cars were all greener because they produced less CO2 I think it was - and everyone bought huge diesel vehicles - but they had just ignored all the other extra pollutants diesel produced.

Th company eon are spouting all sorts of crap like - everyone will produce their own energy to power their cars by going off grid - really?? If they're not doing it now to power their heating and water why would they do it to power their cars??

They also say if people can't produce their own energy it won't matter as not everyone will want to charge their cars at the same time so it won't affect the national grid - DUH most people will get home from work and charge their car. All those people sat in traffic jams will all get home and charge their car. It just all seems like a load of non sense to me and will either be scrapped or a poorly thought through disaster.

The3Ls · 20/03/2021 09:21

My electric car is charged from the solar panels on my roof. Both charger and panels fit under government grant scheme for free and we are an ex council very mid income family. So they can be green and economical. Used to spend £300 plus on petrol a month. Pay for battery hire £112 plus approx £30 on electric bill.

missbridgerton · 20/03/2021 09:24

It's a batshit idea, frankly. We have 4 cars in our family, plus a van we occasionally bring home. How on earth are we going to charge 5 vehicles? And imagine a long journey in an emergency and keep having to stop and charge the car up.............

A villager has one, and it's caused a right stink on the village FB page because walkers along the narrow access lane just don't hear it then he beeps his horn to scare the crap out of you.

Frazzled2207 · 20/03/2021 09:26

@Tal45

It just all seems like a load of non sense to me and will either be scrapped or a poorly thought through disaster.

If we all carry on doing what we’re doing it really will be a poorly thought through disaster.

You’re right to be concerned about how the electricity is generated however. Yes a fair amount is nuclear but increasingly powerful is generated by renewable means. In the UK anyway.

Shinyletsbebadguys · 20/03/2021 09:32

YANBU op i hadn't ever really thought about this until a few months ago and near us there is a tricky bend where , because of where people park, its incredibly hard to see a car coming if they are at a certain point. I honestly hadn't realised how much I rely on listening to the sound when I tried to cross with dc and had to yank them back as an electric car came around the corner (way too fast but thats a different issues and happens a lot around here because everyone forgets there are actual houses here and we live here ).

It genuinely made me jump because I hadn't been able to hear him at all and only saw as he literally was a metre from dc.

Its good that some are coming with noise although not sure about musical ones because it wouldn't alert me it was a car ? Lots of particularly entitled locals walk around with boom boxes on their waist playing music around here (had never experienced that before I moved here so maybe just a local thing) and I would assume it was one of them. Car noises seem the way to go.

Etulosba · 20/03/2021 09:32

I don't understand how electric cars are so much greener? I appreciate that the cars themselves are great for emissions but where is all the electricity for the whole country to be using these cars coming from

Energy can be generated in bulk a lot more efficiently and cleanly than by burning fossil fuels in vehicles. The more nuclear and green energy is added to the mix the cleaner it gets. At least in the medium term and barring any accidents.

In places where electricity is generated predominantly from coal, the overall environmental impact of electric vehicles is a negative one. Poland is, or was, an example of a country where this is so. Australia too, I think.

nitsandwormsdodger · 20/03/2021 09:34

I live next to 10 lanes of constant roaring traffic with a family with lung issues ( !) and definitely can't wait till the whole world is electric
Definitely don't want mouse added
I'm sure technology can be created so you are safe too