http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/calm-plug/story-26549037-detail/story.html Keep calm and plug it in By Plymouth Herald | May 21, 2015
[image http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276351/Article/images/26549037/10119769-large.jpg (Adult shows child how to plug in) ] A NOISE expert from Plymouth is backing claims that driving an electric vehicle makes motorists calmer. According to research, 70 per cent of motorists believe that a quieter cabin would help improve their mood and reduce stress during the time they spend in the car. The Go Ultra Low campaign say the findings suggest that making journeys in an electric vehicle – renowned for the quietness of their interiors compared with road cars powered by internal combustion engines – can help keep driver and passengers happier. The findings are the result of new research released by the campaign, set up by the UK automotive industry and the public sector to highlight the benefits of ultra low emissions vehicles (ULEVs). The new research also found that 74 per cent of the UK's car-driving population above 30 years of age, desire "more 'quiet time' in everyday life", with 83 per cent of the same group believing that "Britain is a much noisier place compared with 10 years ago". According to noise experts, fluctuations in sound levels can have a real impact on our emotions. Professor Duncan Williams, psycho-acoustician at Plymouth University, said: "Many of the sounds people find most annoying and stressful are dynamic – this is no surprise as humans are neurologically 'hard-wired' to respond to such noise. "What makes this annoying is when the noises are beyond our control – they are basically unwelcome intruders into our personal space." While the research found that the ability to enjoy a 'quiet' car journey is important to the majority of motorists, eight out of 10 participants also believed that a reduction in car engine noise would allow them to hold better conversations with passengers and increase their enjoyment of music. Professor Williams added: "Music has been shown to be a great mediator of moods. It has a clear effect on the brain, and is often prescribed in therapeutic contexts." Tests performed by car manufacturers in the Go Ultra Low consortium showed that interior noise levels of electric vehicles and their conventionally-powered equivalents can vary by up to six decibels – a significantly audible difference. Motoring journalist and broadcaster Quentin Willson said: "When you start driving an electric vehicle, the first thing you notice is the quietness of the cabin. "Rather than it being a novelty, this can have a positive effect on your wellbeing. We all know how stressful car travel can be – I've found the electric motor can turn journeys into a zen-like experience." [© plymouthherald.co.uk] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2015/05/17/0200000000AEN20150517001100320.html LG Chem to supply electric vehicle batteries in China http://scroll.in/article/729637/the-man-who-brought-us-the-lithium-ion-battery-at-the-age-of-57-has-an-idea-for-a-new-one-at-92 Goodenough>The man who brought us the lithium-ion battery http://www.autoblog.com/2015/05/25/invest-in-fastned-charge-your-ev-free-forever/ $27k fastned.nl offers shareholders lifetime free EVSE charging http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/blog/bs-md-electric-charging-20150513-story.html Baltimore-MD moves to expand EVSE in municipal garages + EVLN: etukusa.com seeks2 wake-up U.S. to e-tuk-tuk world around them {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-EV-Driving-makes-motorists-calmer-tp4675781.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
