Electric cars must get noisier, ICE cars must get quieter

Electric cars will have to make a noise to protect pedestrians It’s four years since the Lotus solution for making electric cars noisy raised its head, since when the US has had a go at the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act in 2010 to do the same thing, the Japanese are playing too, and Toyota revealed the Prius Vehicle Notification System, and now the EU has decided its time to act to make EVs emit ‘noise’. Despite the most appealing part of an EV being that it makes our cities quieter, legislators worry about the blind, partially sighted and distracted pedestrian (think earphones and a Smartphone) being mowed down by a stalking electric car and feel the need to act. So the European Parliament has decided that by 2019 new models of electric vehicle will have to make a noise in cities, and that by 2021 all new hybrids and electrics must be noisy too.

Ford Vertrek concept car (2011) first pictures

Remember Ford's one world, one car mantra? They call it One Ford. The new Ford Vertrek concept car, unveiled today at the 2011 North American International Auto Show, is a signal that they now want to roll out the same thinking to the SUV market.  Currently, Ford sells the Kuga crossover in Europe and the Escape in America.

Ford adapts Sync for fast German drivers

Ford Motor Co. has adapted its Sync in-car connectivity system to cope with high speeds on German autobahns. Ford launched Sync in North America in 2007 and will offer the system on its models in Europe starting next year.