New Australian EVs need low speed pedestrian alert

Australian pedestrians should soon be safer around quiet cars, trucks and buses travelling at low speeds with the Albanese Government introducing a new design rule to make electric vehicles safer from November 2025.

The Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS) is a safety alert or sound, emitted when an EV is travelling at low speeds (under about 30kmh) in car parks, intersections, and driveways.

 Quiet vehicles such as electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles travelling at low speeds are harder for pedestrians to hear compared to noisier vehicles with conventional petrol or diesel engines, says a joint government release which includes transport minister Cathrine King.

“This increases the risk of being involved in a collision, and this risk is greater for people who are blind or have poor vision who rely on sound to negotiate the road network independently,” says the joint statement.

“The new Australian Design Rule (ADR) will require new electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars, trucks and buses to be fitted with an AVAS from November 2025.”

Go to ATAU for more on this story.