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Hybrid and electric vehicles (HVs and EVs) have demonstrated low noise levels relative to their Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) counterparts, particularly at low speeds. As the number of HVs/EVs on the road increases, so does the need for data quantifying auditory detectability by pedestrians; in particular, those who are vision impaired. Manufacturers have started implementing additive noise solutions designed to increase vehicle detectability while in electric mode and/or when traveling below a certain speed. A detailed description of the real-time acoustic measurement system, the corresponding vehicular data, development of an immersive noise field, and experimental methods pertaining to a recent evaluation of candidate vehicles is provided herein. Listener testing was completed by 24 legally blind test subjects for four vehicle types: an EV and HV with different additive noise approaches, an EV with no additive noise, and a traditional ICE vehicle.

This paper will examine the regulatory development process, discuss the technical principles of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), R51.03 test, and discuss the overall objectives of the ECE R51.03 noise emission regulation. The development of this global noise emission regulation was a multi-stakeholder process which has resulted in new test procedures and new noise emission regulation principles. New test procedures based on ISO 362-1:2015 move the test basis to representative in-use noise emission, independent of vehicle propulsion technology. As part of the regulatory development, a monitoring program was conducted by the European Union to assess the applicability of the proposed test to provide representative vehicle noise emission results. The monitoring results also provided the basis to determine equivalent stringency between the test procedures of ECE R51.02 and R51.03.