Electric-car noise rules to be canceled under Trump deregulation plan?

Chevrolet Bolt EV self-driving prototypeModern electric cars have been on U.S. roads for seven years or so, and owners love their smooth, quiet, close to noise-free operation. That silence has been a bone of contention for even longer, however, since hybrids operating purely on battery power are similarly quiet. For years, the U.S. Department of Transportation was charged with drafting...

Feds issue mandatory-noise rule for new electric, hybrid cars

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, road test, California coastline, Sep 2016The U.S. government finally issued its long-debated rules for noise-making devices in so-called "quiet cars." They require all new hybrid and plug-in electric cars to emit noises that alert pedestrians to their presence. Because these cars operate near-silently on electric power, regulators have expressed concerns that they constitute a greater...