Features
8 nov 18

Brigade Electronics wins award for EV sound generator

Sound is an important contributor to road safety for pedestrians, and not only for the blind or visually impaired. Cyclists often use sound to navigate our cities' streets, too. This is where one of the advantages of electric vehicles becomes a liability: you hardly hear them at low speeds. Enter Brigade Electronics and its Quiet Vehicle Sounder (QVS).

From speeds of around 30km/h, wind and road noise generate enough sound that can be heard. When electric vehicles move at lower speeds, QVS can generate a noise through a front speaker and an optional rear speaker. The sound is directional and locatable so it can only be heard in the hazard zone. Pitch and volume increase with vehicle speed to mimic what we are used to from conventional internal combustion engines.

Technology to generate sound for EVs has a promising future, as all new EVs sold in Europe will be required to produce a sound of at least 56db(A) by July 2019. In October, Jaguar announced its own system for the new I-Pace.

Environmental Award

At the 22nd edition of the Dutch Congress for Sound, Vibrations and Air Quality, Brigade Electronics was rewarded with the Environmental Award. Christopher Hanson-Abbott OBE, chairman and founder of Brigade Electronics Group and Huib Slijkhuis, managing director, Brigade Benelux, received the award from the hands of Jacqueline Cramer, professor Sustainable Entreprise at Hoevelaken on 6 November.

QVS will be commercially available from March 2019.

Image: Brigade Electronics team at the congress in Hoevelaken, the Netherlands.

Authored by: Benjamin Uyttebroeck