The USA are one step ahead EU when we are talking about electric vehicles because they have a regulation that says that electric vehicles must be louder while moving slowly. In Europe, they were talking about new “Sound information system” or AVAS. However, European Parliament has made a decision this April.
Until 2019, all electric vehicles in EU will have a system to warn blind pedestrians (but also those who are looking at their smartphones).

Politicians who were pro this decision say that sound system will produce a sound similar to the one produced by SUS engines, which will enable pedestrians to hear them when they are getting closer and to make a decision should they cross the road or not.
The regulation doesn’t say anything about the sound type, but it says that the car must have “adequate sound generation unit”.

This decision will probably lead to the enormous number of websites and services where we will be able to buy sounds for our vehicles, so they can sound like V8, Ferrari, Porsche or Lamborghini.
Completely opposite from this decision, EU wants from regular car producers to reduce the noise generated from their cars.

The request is not simple at all because setting up additional amounts of isolation materials will increase the vehicle mass, which will increase the gases emission, which is strictly restricted even today.
On the other side, if they use new, modern and lighter isolating materials will affect the retail price of vehicles, so it will be very interesting will drivers like solutions offered by car industry.

The reason for this regulation is in EU’s uneasiness that the noise generated by vehicles negatively affects people’s health. A study from 2011 named “Quiet, please!” claims that negative consequences of traffic noise are increased stress, difficulties in studies and other similar things.