[MA66541]

Hey there! I have been trying for a bit to remove the clip from mine (I found it right under the hood latch like you said) but I can't seem to get it to budge. I'm trying to push on the clip, but all I am succeeding in doing is hurting my fingers! Did yours come out easily? Any tips or suggestions?

Thanks!

New to this forum as we picked up our Kona EV SEL yesterday!! Returned my Chevy Bolt EV 2017. That was a terrific car. This car is even better. We bought this one rather than lease it.

I am happy to report that in the USA MY2020 the noisemaker is under the hood latch forward as described in this thread. Thanks to this thread I was able to unplug it there. The plug is a 7 pin, and the plug has a positive click latch you have to push to remove it. It is on the back facing the motor when you push it for those of you trying to figure out how to remove it. You have to thread your hand in there, but you definitely can reach it. I am now driving in silence. I drove my Bolt EV, and Leaf EV for 7 years with silence. I understand the concern here, but the high pitch of the VESS is unpleasant, and in my area most folks are older and have high frequency hearing loss. Nobody can hear it. I for one am happy with this simple fix.

 

[dndrich]

Hey there! I have been trying for a bit to remove the clip from mine (I found it right under the hood latch like you said) but I can't seem to get it to budge. I'm trying to push on the clip, but all I am succeeding in doing is hurting my fingers! Did yours come out easily? Any tips or suggestions?

Thanks!

It does come out easily if you get the thing unclipped. The clip is facing aft, or toward the engine compartment. Push in on the lower part of the plug and it will unlatch. Then it is easy to just pull it upward.

 

[ACorvy]

I think if you are listening to music or talking on your mobile (hands free of course) then the VESS can’t be heard anyway. Esp with windows up.
But it would be nice for Hyundai to offer a couple of different sound options - maybe like a V8 engine?! ?

 

[Kiwi]

You can be assured that Tesla will the first to provide this most-obvious feature. It's just not in any other manufacturer's genes to recognise such low-hanging fruit, especially being just for fun.
And I'll save Eric a post by linking to his very clever effort ...

 

[TRT]

I think if you are listening to music or talking on your mobile (hands free of course) then the VESS can’t be heard anyway. Esp with windows up.
But it would be nice for Hyundai to offer a couple of different sound options - maybe like a V8 engine?! ?

This could be interesting from Mercedes Benz: “AMG is working with the American rock band Linkin Park to find a potent artificial sound for its electric cars, Mercedes-AMG CEO Tobias Moers said.”

The VESS is a system that will become law in most countries over coming years. I acknowledge it can be irritating to drivers (including me), but as the father of a severely disabled, and largely road-unaware, daughter it’s a safety feature that I thoroughly support.

 

[ACorvy]

Hmm, I think I’d choose an old steam train sound - with the whistle ?

 

[upa]

VESS meets a mandatory safety requirement for EVs in Canada. It's there for a reason, as others have explained above. And, as others have explained, disconnecting it would give your insurance company a very good reason not to pay out in a related accident where the car was impounded and inspected.

That's actually not factual, at this time there is no mandatory requirement in Canada in either law or more specifically the federal motor vehicle safety regulations for VESS . Its currently under consideration and its deployment by manufacturers is purely voluntary at this time. The regulation won't apply retroactively to vehicles manufactured before the new regulations get announced in the Canada Gazette, so unplug away.

 

[TRT]

The regulation won't apply retroactively to vehicles manufactured before the new regulations get announced in the Canada Gazette, so unplug away.

So I guess drivers of older EVs can continue to skittle the visually impaired even after the new laws come into effect.

 

[upa]

So I guess drivers of older EVs can continue to skittle the visually impaired even after the new laws come into effect.

According to the US government transport safety agency the chance of pedestrian collision with any vehicle is under 1%. The incidence with an ICE vehicle is 0.57%vs 0.77% for hybrid. Basically you have 0.2% overall increased risk to pedestrians by running a silent EV vs a ICE vehicle, which is a real life meaningless stat. I feel no guilt turning off my VESS as I don't honestly believe I will skittle or bowel down any unsuspecting visually impaired pedestrians. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/811526

 

[Kiwi]

Directly out of the report quoted on page 8:

The incidence and the odds of HE vehicles being involved in a pedestrian crash are 1.35 times (35% higher) as much as the corresponding incidence and odds of an ICE vehicle being involved in a similar crash

.

 

[TRT]

I used to always advise researchers to take care with stats because they can be misleading, especially if they have not been collected for reasons in the argument being presented. And sorry for being serious here, but it is an important safety issue for a significant group of the population. I acknowledge that there is no law that requires VESS/AVAS, but I would hope that generally socially aware EV drivers in particular would extend good will to the visually impaired.

Here is some Australian research focused on actual impacts (no pun intended) on those affected:
“Findings from a survey of the blind and low-vision community found that more than one-third of respondents reported having experienced either a collision or near-collision with an electric vehicle. Further, three-quarters of respondents indicated that the introduction of electric/hybrid vehicles had reduced their confidence to walk and cross roads.”

Full article from Monash University Accident Research Centre here. And if you want more detail, including methodology, the Vision Australia report is here.

 

[TRT]

As predicted by Kiwi a few posts back, sounds can now be changed on Teslas, or at least on this one. Though not sure I’ll enjoy the sound of a TIE fighter overtaking me when they release the Star Wars options.

Tesla car sounds

 

[upa]

The incidence and the odds of HE vehicles being involved in a pedestrian crash are 1.35 times (35% higher) as much as the corresponding incidence and odds of an ICE vehicle being involved in a similar crash

While the 35% increased risk( the difference between 0.57 and 0.77%) is a meaningful statistical number it represents relative risk but when you actually look your absolute risk which I quoted from the very same study it remains meaningless low at 0.2%. Obviously 35% increased risk sounds much more sensational but clearly does not represent how much worry you need to give this problem.

 

[Kiwi]

If you're going to quote me please do not remove the text where I stated that the quote was directly from the report you linked.

 

[KonaEVdriver]

You can be assured that Tesla will the first to provide this most-obvious feature. It's just not in any other manufacturer's genes to recognise such low-hanging fruit, especially being just for fun.
And I'll save Eric a post by linking to his very clever effort ...

Haha this is pretty funny!

 

[StuartE]

That's actually not factual, at this time there is no mandatory requirement in Canada in either law or more specifically the federal motor vehicle safety regulations for VESS . Its currently under consideration and its deployment by manufacturers is purely voluntary at this time. The regulation won't apply retroactively to vehicles manufactured before the new regulations get announced in the Canada Gazette, so unplug away.

I've read somewhere the date was coming soon, but I'd like to confirm this for myself. Would you please share where you found the information you provided here?

 

[RHolmes]

I pulled my VESS out of the car and have worked out how to operate it on the bench by mimicking the CAN frames that the car sends it. Here's a video if anyone is interested:

Here are some photos of the removal:

I have to disconnect mine so we can hear the clicking sound at low speed.
Does anyone have a picture of the tab you push to release the plug. I have been trying to unplug it but can’t feel the tab to release it. We will plug it back in after recording the wheel of fortune sound. Thanks

 

[StuartE]

I've read somewhere the date was coming soon, but I'd like to confirm this for myself. Would you please share where you found the information you provided here?

On April 14th, 2020, I received the following email from Transport Canada.
Dear Mr. Evans

Thank you for contacting Transport Canada with your inquiry. Regarding your question, there are currently no requirements or regulation in Canada for an electric vehicle to emit a sound externally when the vehicle is in motion. However, Transport Canada have planned to introduce a quiet vehicle regulations in the future. Here is the excerpt from Transport Canada webpage with our road safety initiatives planned for April 2019 – April 2021

https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/acts-regulations/road-safety-initiatives-planned.html
Description
The proposed regulations would require electric and electric hybrid vehicles to implement a noise system to alert visually impaired persons that they are operating nearby.
Potential impacts on Canadians, including businesses
There are no expected business impacts.
Regulatory cooperation efforts (domestic and international)
It was proposed that the Canadian safety regulations may be amended to introduce Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard CMVSS 141, Minimum Noise Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, to align with requirements in Europe and the United States Manufacturers would be given the choice of complying with requirements of either the United States or United Nations regulation for the vehicles specified in the scope of CMVSS 141.
Further work on the amendment has been temporarily paused while awaiting the work of the United Nations towards the development of a possible Global Technical Requirement (GTR) concerning quiet vehicles. Its latest development meeting took place at the end of May 2018. The intent of this meeting was to review the potential for initiating work on the GTR. To date, a decision has not been made by the UN committee to reinitiate the quiet vehicles working group. This UN work has resulted in a delay in the progress of the amendment.
Consultations
Transport Canada sought input from interested Canadians on the proposed regulations through a public consultation period held in early 2018 through the Let's Talk Transportation platform.
It is anticipated that there will be a formal consultation process of 75-days following pre-publication in the Canada Gazette, Part I, expected to take place in early 2020.

Dominic Chan, P.Eng

Compliance Engineer, Multi-Modal and Road Safety Programs
Transport Canada / Government of Canada

 

[Behrish]

This is false information

the public consultation as stiles 3 yrs ago but the law haven’t been modified yet. The main issue is gasoline car are designed to be just as silent.

VESS meets a mandatory safety requirement for EVs in Canada. It's there for a reason, as others have explained above. And, as others have explained, disconnecting it would give your insurance company a very good reason not to pay out in a related accident where the car was impounded and inspected.

 

[ken_957]

I love the 2022 Kona EV. The VESS was irritating at first and I thought I'd get used to it, but it becomes penetrating. I will not disconnect it - it is a needed feature, but i does not need to be so loud inside the vehicle. I switch to Park at every light and try to keep music on when driving around town. I think the engineers should have to sit in a room with that sound playing for an hour, they would probably reprogram it. The car is great, but 4 months of VESS is getting to me.