On April 24, 2021, Transport Canada issued a proposal that the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (MVSR) be amended to introduce Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 141 — Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (CMVSS 141).
The proposed safety standard includes requirements to testable acoustic parameters when the vehicle is about to move or is moving at low speeds. These requirements would ensure that blind, visually impaired, and other pedestrians and pedal cyclists are able to detect and recognize nearby hybrid and electric vehicles. These specifications should allow the pedestrian to recognize that there is a vehicle present, where that vehicle is, and in what state it is operating, more precisely, if the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, going forward or reversing.
To align with UN and U.S. requirements, companies would be given the choice of complying with the requirements of either the U.S. or UN regulation for vehicles specified in the scope of CMVSS 141. The choice of compliance was proposed based on both regulations meeting the intention for electric and electric hybrid vehicles to make a noise during low-speed operation, while limiting the cost and complications for manufacturers producing vehicles for different markets. In regard to the specific differences between the sets of technical requirements, a summary is presented in the “Rationale” section.
The proposed amendment would modify Schedule III of the MVSR by adding CMVSS 141 — Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles. In addition, the proposed amendment would modify Schedule IV by incorporating by reference, as amended from time to time, sections of the U.S. FMVSS 141, Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles and UN Regulation No. 138, Uniform provisions concerning the approval of Quiet Road Transport Vehicles with regard to their reduced audibility.
The deadline for filing comments is 75 days from the publication date of April 24, 2021.