Study finds a low-frequency hum helps EVs stay heard
Why a low-frequency hum makes EVs safer for pedestrians
Study finds a low-frequency hum helps EVs stay heard
Japanese researchers tested EV alert sounds in streets and labs, finding a low-frequency hum best aids pedestrian safety without annoyance in city noise.
2026-01-03T13:31:44+03:00
2026-01-03T13:31:44+03:00
2026-01-03T13:31:44+03:00
Electric cars come with a paradox: they’re wonderfully quiet for those behind the wheel, yet at low speeds they almost disappear for people on foot. Makers have long added synthetic sounds, but the real question—what kind of audio cue actually works in a city—has stayed open. A Japanese team led by Mei Suzuki took a practical route: they weren’t chasing sheer volume, but a signal the brain treats as a warning and that doesn’t drown in everyday urban noise.The researchers combed through a broad library of options—from familiar engine-like tones to pink-noise concepts that lean on naturally comfortable low frequencies. They tested them both in the lab and out on real streets. The outcome proved disarmingly simple: people responded best not to sharp or musical alerts, but to a soft, low-frequency hum.The logic is clear. That timbre intuitively reads as “car,” while the low end cuts through the city’s high-frequency hiss and stays audible amid the din. In practice, that makes it the kind of cue pedestrians notice without bristling at it—exactly the balance traffic needs. The results, presented at a professional meeting of acoustical societies in Honolulu, effectively give automakers a target: to stand out without grating, an EV benefits from a calm, bass-rich bed of sound that remains clear even in a noisy environment.
electric vehicles, EV alert sound, low-frequency hum, pedestrian safety, urban noise, audible warning, AVAS, acoustics study, Mei Suzuki, automakers, city streets, pink noise
2026
Michael Powers
news
Why a low-frequency hum makes EVs safer for pedestrians
Japanese researchers tested EV alert sounds in streets and labs, finding a low-frequency hum best aids pedestrian safety without annoyance in city noise.
Michael Powers, Editor
Electric cars come with a paradox: they’re wonderfully quiet for those behind the wheel, yet at low speeds they almost disappear for people on foot. Makers have long added synthetic sounds, but the real question—what kind of audio cue actually works in a city—has stayed open. A Japanese team led by Mei Suzuki took a practical route: they weren’t chasing sheer volume, but a signal the brain treats as a warning and that doesn’t drown in everyday urban noise.
The researchers combed through a broad library of options—from familiar engine-like tones to pink-noise concepts that lean on naturally comfortable low frequencies. They tested them both in the lab and out on real streets. The outcome proved disarmingly simple: people responded best not to sharp or musical alerts, but to a soft, low-frequency hum.
The logic is clear. That timbre intuitively reads as “car,” while the low end cuts through the city’s high-frequency hiss and stays audible amid the din. In practice, that makes it the kind of cue pedestrians notice without bristling at it—exactly the balance traffic needs. The results, presented at a professional meeting of acoustical societies in Honolulu, effectively give automakers a target: to stand out without grating, an EV benefits from a calm, bass-rich bed of sound that remains clear even in a noisy environment.
