Important pedestrian safety issues have emerged with the advent of hybrid and electric vehicles. These vehicles are relatively quiet—they do not emit the sounds pedestrians and bicyclists are accustomed to hearing as a vehicle approaches them on the street or at an intersection. In a recent study, human factors/ergonomics researchers examined participants’ preferences for sounds that could be added to quiet vehicles to make them easier to detect.

Though the safety of quiet vehicles has become an issue for pedestrians in general, it is also of concern to the National Federation for the Blind, which has called for quiet vehicles to emit a continuous sound and for additional research on the subject. The authors suggest that older individuals with diminished sensory and motor skills should also be considered as solutions are developed.

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The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has entered into a collaboration with General Motors and 34 other utilities to facilitate the integration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the grid, a key step in providing the drivers with an alternative to petroleum fuels.

PHEVs use domestically produced electricity through the grid, with a lower cost to fuel the vehicles than that of petroleum fuels. Additional, research released last year by EPRI and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) pointed to the potential of PHEVs to lower greenhouse emissions.

The EPRI-GM-utility collaboration will work to accelerate large-scale deployment of PHEVs and create a blueprint for an electric fuel infrastructure.

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Topia Corp has prototyped a single-seater electric vehicle “HUVO,” which only weighs about 150kg (330 lb).

The vehicle was exhibited at the 19th Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions Expo (DMS) located in Tokyo.

The HUVO was developed by using Topia’s proprietary design and production technologies, the company said.

The Huvo is made of steel, aluminum, carbon fiber reinforced plastic and ABS resin.

The body frame is made of high-tensile steel plate, the doors on both sides and the back panel are made of aluminum alloy and the interior parts and the wheel covers are made of ABS resin.