The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has decided to instate new federal regulations on electric cars after a 17th lethal car vs. pedestrian collision was ruled to have been caused by the fact that engines of electric cars are silent. From August 30th 2015 electric cars will have to be equipped retroactively with a sound producing device to resemble the noise that conventional combustion engines make. Car makers have announced they will take legal steps to appeal the decision. NTHSA CEO Mark Barnes responded he was not surprised to receive heat from car makers, but made clear that public safety is top priority within the agency and stated: “Electric cars are killing Americans on our streets and we have the power to stop it. If that results in the biggest recall in the history of the automotive industry, so be it!”
