Noise emission of electric and hybrid electric vehicles : deliverable FOREVER (n° Forever WP2_D2-1-V4)

The project FOREVER aims primarily to provide data and information on the potential future noise impacts of electric vehicles on national roads. Work Package 2 (WP2) of the project is intended to identify the noise emission levels from electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. This involves a review of the state-of-the-art in vehicle noise evaluation methods and how these can be applied to electric vehicles, considering the issue from the perspective of operation in controlled conditions rather than just strict type-approval conditions. The study includes practical testing carried out on a range of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles to determine noise emission levels. The objective is to derive input data for use within noise prediction models such as CNOSSOS-EU. Two vehicle categories, light and medium heavy vehicles, are considered in the study which focuses entirely on external noise. The noise impacts from the perspective of human listeners, e.g. communities near national road ways, were also considered through a series of subjective participant trials. These studies investigated how the change in the character of noise emission of electric vehicles is perceived by human listeners. A system of perceptual dimensions similar to past research was used to assess the noise emission of electric vehicles