New EU law requires electric vehicles to emit noise for pedestrian safety

The 'alert system' only activates at low speeds and can be disabled by the driver.

New electric vehicles sold in European Union countries will soon be equipped with a noise-emitting system to help avoid pedestrian accidents.

New regulations that go into effect this week require an acoustic vehicle alert system (AVAS) that automatically activates at speeds of less than 12 mph and sounds like a traditional engine, according to the BBC.

Some pedestrian advocates have argued that the law does not go far enough and should require noise to be emitted at all speeds. Critics claim the law is not based on established evidence of an actual threat to pedestrians, however.

The EU believes the most significant safety threat involves EVs that are driving slowly. In any case, the law currently allows drivers to deactivate the system if they find the noise to be annoying.

The law currently applies to new models but will extend to all electric vehicles by 2021.