Red-Green will ban artificial electric car “noise”

Image: Hyundai (illustrative)

The Red-Green coalition in Hamburg plans to partially ban artificially generated engine noise in electric vehicles. According to the Zeit newspaper, the SPD faction aims to persuade the city council to advocate for such a ban at the federal level. A corresponding proposal is set to be approved at the next city council meeting on September 16.

Ole Thorben Buschhüter, the SPD faction’s spokesperson on transportation policy, criticized the imitation of internal combustion engines and said, “Technological progress should reduce traffic noise rather than artificially recreate it.” He added that this unnecessary noise should be banned nationwide.

Buschhüter emphasized, however, that necessary warning sounds at low speeds are part of safety and should remain unchanged. The latter, known as AVAS technology (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System), has been required in the EU since 2019 for fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

In addition, the coalition aims to take stricter action against “autoposing.” According to Rosa Domm, an expert on mobility from the Greens party, this includes technically manipulated vehicles, aggressive driving, and intentional creation of engine noise. The Greens faction wants to support a resolution from Bremen in the Bundesrat to strengthen the work of the specialized Hamburg police unit through nationwide regulations.

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Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with professional experience in the automotive industry and finance sector. Since 2011, he has been covering electric vehicles, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.

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