The device will be available nationwide through authorized Toyota dealers and Toyota genuine parts & accessories distributors for retrofitting on the third-generation "Prius" gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle. TMC to Sell Approaching Vehicle Audible System for 'Prius' Toyota City, Japan, August 24, 2010-Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces that, in line with its efforts to ensure an ever-safer traffic environment, it will begin sales on August 30 of an onboard device designed to alert pedestrians and others audibly to the presence of a quiet vehicle, such as a gasoline-electric hybrid. According to the Toyota press release, "TMC also plans other versions of the device for use in gasoline-electric hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles as well as fuel-cell hybrid vehicles planned for launch." Video below. The noisemaker is "designed to meet new Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism guidelines for hybrid and other near-silent vehicles." Toyota is considering whether they will offer the system in the US at a later date. Its use is voluntary in Japan, where it will first be marketed starting August 30th.
For $150, Prius owners will be able to add a speaker system that goes under the hood of the 3G Prius and produces a bizarre sound that sounds like it was taken from a B-level horror movie. All of that feedback has led us to an announcement by Toyota introducing an "Approaching Vehicle Audible System" for the 3rd Generation Prius. It doesn't take much searching in the PriusChat forums to get an idea of how Prius owners feel about taking their silent "stealth" mode and turning it into a hybrid ice cream truck, and big names in the EV scene such as Chelsea Sexton have weighed in on the What Drives Us podcast regarding the issue.
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