AVAS Technology Mandated On Trucks From 2025

The Federal Government has introduced a new design rule that will require new electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars, trucks and buses to be fitted with an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System from November 2025.

An AVAS is a safety alert or sound, emitted when an electric vehicle is travelling at low speeds in car parks, intersections and driveways.

They aim to address a safety issue that arises when quiet vehicles such as EVs travelling at low speeds are harder for pedestrians to hear compared to noisier vehicles with conventional petrol or diesel engines.

This increases the risk of being involved in a collision, and this risk is greater for people who are blind or have poor vision who rely on sound to negotiate the road network independently.

The new Australian Design Rule (ADR) will make these vehicles easier to hear by emitting a sound when the vehicle is travelling at low speeds in car parks, intersections and driveways.

A vehicle fitted with an AVAS will not be any noisier than a conventional petrol or diesel vehicle.

The Government consulted on a draft Impact Analysis proposing a mandate for AVAS for light vehicles and it was strongly supported by state and territory governments, the blind and low-vision community, and vehicle manufacturers.

The new Fuso eCanter comes standard with radar systems that can automatically stop the truck for pedestrians in harm’s way in front of the truck and even down the left side of the vehicle

The new ADR is expected to avoid around 68 fatalities, 2,675 serious injuries and 2,962 minor injuries by 2060 and is estimated it will save the Australian community $208 million.

Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Carol Brown says AVAS technology is already mandated in the European Union, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea and the United States.

“This is our opportunity to catch up with the developed world. This technology will go a long way to preventing pedestrian crashes, especially for our most vulnerable,” she says.

While applauding the decision, Daimler Truck says pedestrians need more protection.

Daimler Truck’s Fuso eCanter has had an AVAS since it launched in 2021 and it is standard on the next-generation eCanter, the new Mercedes-Benz eActros and eEconic that are being launched later this month.

“We thank the Australian government for ensuring manufacturers do the right thing and include the audible AVAS system, but pedestrians need more protection than that,” says Daimler Truck Australia Pacific President and CEO, Daniel Whitehead.

“All our electric trucks feature radar systems that can automatically stop the truck for pedestrians in harm’s way in front of the truck and even down the left side of the vehicle.

“Many of our competitors, especially in the small electric truck space, don’t even offer this as an option. Whether they just don’t have the capability to offer this advanced technology or they are just saving money, the end result is that they don’t have it.”

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