Lotus introduces 'Safe & Sound' Hybrid

Electric and hybrid vehicles, a favourite choice of the environmentally conscientious have recently come in for criticism from blind and partially sighted people. Due to the almost silent operation of hybrid vehicles at slower speed when running on electric power, the independent travel of the blind and partially sighted may be put at risk as they cannot hear these quiet vehicles as they approach, making crossing a road or walking through a car park hazardous.

Clive Wood, Transport Policy Officer at The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association said, "Blind and partially sighted people use the noise of oncoming traffic as a cue for when it is safe to cross a road – if a 'quiet' hybrid electric vehicle is approaching then they will no longer have this cue and are immediately put at risk."

The Lotus "Safe & Sound" Hybrid technology demonstrator uses a standard Toyota Prius, one of the highest volume and most advanced hybrid vehicles to demonstrate the sound synthesis application and compensate for the lack of engine noise emitted by the vehicle when running on an electric motor. What has resulted is the same environmentally conscious hybrid vehicle, without the potential risk to pedestrians and cyclists.

The solution that Lotus has devised is a novel reapplication and development of its Sound Synthesis technology. This is a part of the Lotus suite of patented active noise technologies which comprise three main systems, Active Road Noise Cancellation, Engine Order Cancellation and Sound Synthesis.