THOR AVAS, innovators of acoustic alerting systems for EVs, have conducted a study into the European electric transport sector, divided into vehicle types and uses.

The sound of an EV is important to end-users, most notably for safety and personal preference of the noise that they expect their vehicle(s) to make. The survey concentrated on personal use vehicles, omitting commercial and construction vehicles and delivery transportation, instead concentrating on electric cars, scooters, motorcycles and bicycles.

Safety and personal preference were most important for scooter and bicycle users. Car users, meanwhile, were more resolute that noise was for personal value. Motorcyclists and moped users were less enthusiastic about noise additions, the consensus being that they already had the sound of the high-speed wind. This group of EV users was the smallest, however.

35 million personal vehicles are observed in Europe, of which 7 million (21%) are electric. As Europe’s 2035 ban on manufacturing new ICE cars nears, this number is continually increasing, amplified by a rise in gas and oil pricing. The data of Thor Avas’s research relates well to the current market. Comprehensive and thought-provoking details can be located here.