Ask Bob Wilson to represent you in Washington

[Bill Merchant]

Your quiet hybrid car may be a thing of the past if legislation now in Congress passes. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is holding hearings this month to review the dangers quiet cars pose to blind pedestrians. You can download the hearing notice and comment to NHTSA directly.

And you can ask Bob Wilson (bwilson4web) to represent you when he presents his testimony.

Bob is going to Washington and I have asked him to represent me to NHTSA since I can't go, being in Oregon. There are almost 4,500 active PriusChat members. The more of us that Bob represents, the stronger our voice will be heard. Ask Bob to represent you and oppose needless legislation to make your car noisier!

[bwilson4web]

Thanks Bill for the vote of confidence but for the up coming hearings, I'll be going as CEO of my home company, 625k Inc. Also, it makes sense to wait until I share my charts with the group before voting. The outline will be:

1. Risk to my business plan to keep hybrids running to 625,000 miles, 30-40 years
2. Weakness of proposed, audio only rule
3. Proposal for starting "smart highway" with hybrids
4. Rewriting the bill to 'turn on' hybrid owners and technologists to lead the way (aka., solving the chicken and egg problem)

You' all really need to see my charts before voting. But I do think we need to organize an effective hybrid owners group and I don't mean the faux 'self proclaimed' Prius and Hybrid groups.

I do not doubt their sincere belief in what they think they are doing but a web site does not a group make. Let me suggest we do a little research before any Congressional hearings and see if there is some existing, user group that we might form a hybrid interest group under:

• AAA or other auto club
• para-professional organizations

It needs to be a serious organization with (ugh!) dues and services to the members. Most of all, it needs officers who are elected and responsible to the membership. Something along the lines of CAUCE, SANS, AARP or other advocacy groups makes sense. But it can't be a Potemkin or 'one trick' pony.

In a perfect world, it would incorporate the leadership of Hybridfest and other green car rallies as well as support of independent hybrid service companies. But most of all, it can not be centered around just one or two "heros" who are expected to shoulder the work. Finally, it has to be incorporated, a budget and commitment to the mission. No one person can or should be expected to do everything. My short list includes:

• Eric Powers - Mr. Hybridfest
• Wayne Brown - Johnny "heater block"
• Hobbit - independent shop ambassador
• John1701a - knows everyone who has ever done anything
• Patrick Wong - west coast, do-it-yourself advocate
• Jason - creator of GreenHybrid
• Evans - safety and PriusChat creator
• Michelle - Yahoogroup moderator for Prius forums
• others too numerous to mention

In the past, we've had to deal with silly hybrid skeptics who like Don Quixote tried to stand in the way of progress. Time and events have driven them to blessed silence. But now we are faced with integrating the new technology we have embraced into society. This means we need to either reach for the reins of leadership of existing organizations or (God forbid) form our own.

Bob Wilson

[patsparks]

Where is the "I'm not a US citizen so I have no say in this even though stupid laws from the USA have a habit of migrating" option?

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by patsparks

Where is the "I'm not a US citizen so I have no say in this even though stupid laws from the USA have a habit of migrating" option?

Happily not cursed with these dang bladder fuel tanks or having to 'roll your own' EV buttons!!!

Best of all, you don't have to put up with strange temperature and measurement gauges that have water freezing at 32; boiling at 212; measurements in 12 inches per foot; 3 feet per yard; 1760 yards per mile; and bolts down to 1/64ths of an inch. At least we both have eight fingers!

Bob Wilson

ps. It could be worse ... n'est pas?

[galaxee]

man... if we weren't already beyond swamped, we'd be happy to help. i know you're also busy, bob, and we really appreciate you taking the time to organize and present at the hearings.

[DaveinOlyWA]

Bob, i applaud your efforts... since i drive a full battery EV, which is quieter than a Pri... (never have engine startup, even in winter time!!) i do not want to compromise my range by having to feed watts into some sort of audio device to imitate engine noise...

i think we should all back Bob, AND write in...that just reinforces his position. its just a letter... i'm sure we could get a form letter here, cut and paste...etc...

email is free. most everyone accepts that.

[hiremichaelreid]

Bob, I applaud your efforts also, but I'll limit my letter writing to my Canadian representatives when this issue arises here.

Please consider framing this issues as:

(1) Noise pollution control. IMO it's trucks and loud gas engines (particularly on sports cars and cars with bad mufflers) that have the problem. Not EVs and Hybrids.

(2) A pedestrian awareness and safety issue. It is NOT pedestrians being run down by quiet vehicles, it's pedestrian carelessness that is the root of the problem.


Finally, if such legislation were to pass, it MUST NOT, IMO, discriminate against EVs and Hybrids specifically, it MUST involve sound meter testing by the manufacturers. If EVs and Hybrids must be belled, let the super quiet ICE vehicles be belled too. This is a hypothetical; I don't want ANY vehicles belled.

[donee]

Hi All,

I reread one of my old posts on this subject. I think the Prius is already noisey enough, but at supersonic frequencies. The blind just need a super-sonic downcoverter . I know dog's hear the Prius inverter. I see em turn and look. I know the RX400h is very noisey in the high sonic range when in electric mode.

[PriusSport]

You look at the rationale of something like this, and it's easier to see why so little gets done in Washington. They ought to be taking the cell phones of drivers out of their ears--if they are concerned about safety.

[ericbecky]

Bob,
I know Linda W, one of the partners of Hybridfest has decibel data regarding road noise and hybrids. I'll have to make sure to get you that info.