Car Beeping Reversing Light Bulb

Anybody getting an EV should consider this back-up bulb. There have been more than one time that some idiot walked right past my EV as I backed up, claiming they could not hear me [while they played with their cell phone]:

12V Car Beep&Light SMD Reversing Back Up Alarm Warning Alert Bulb P21W BA15S

http://tinyurl.com/jbn6av3

flamaest said:

Anybody getting an EV should consider this back-up bulb. There have been more than one time that some idiot walked right past my EV as I backed up, claiming they could not hear me [while they played with their cell phone]:

12V Car Beep&Light SMD Reversing Back Up Alarm Warning Alert Bulb P21W BA15S

http://tinyurl.com/jbn6av3

Click to expand...

As a rule, it's always your responsibility to avoid pedestrians (In Oregon, they have the right of way).

That's a great bit of information, but I'll still get one of these bulbs to reduce the chance of a cell-phone-zombie smacking into my car. A lot of folks here have never had an EV before, so they may not realize this is a real hazard.

From pg 105 of the owners manual:

Pedestrian Safety Signal
The vehicle is equipped with automatic sound generation.
The automatic sound is generated to indicate the vehicle presence to pedestrians. The sound changes if the vehicle is speeding up or slowing down. It is activated when the vehicle is shifted into a forward gear or R (Reverse), up to 23 km/h (14 mph).

Click to expand...

Oh, that's great. Saved me a couple bucks. Thanks for pointing that out.

DucRider said:

From pg 105 of the owners manual:

Pedestrian Safety Signal
The vehicle is equipped with automatic sound generation.
The automatic sound is generated to indicate the vehicle presence to pedestrians. The sound changes if the vehicle is speeding up or slowing down. It is activated when the vehicle is shifted into a forward gear or R (Reverse), up to 23 km/h (14 mph).

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

The "Pedestrian Safety Signal" is supposed to serve the same purpose as the noise of a running engine on an ICE vehicle. But even ICE vehicles can benefit from a backup beeper, so the Bolt wouldn't be any different.

I got my BOLT the other day and I can't hear any pedestrian safety signal. Exactly where is this option and should this be on when driving slow?

I can't hear anything even when my dealership sales guy drove my car out to me for pickup, in which I was outside watching it move towards me [forward and reverse gears].

Have someone sit in the car in park and then have them shift into gear but not accelerate. You'll hear an "idle" hum. It's sort of like a futuristic turbine sound from a sci-fi movie. The sound is the generator because really being in gear but not moving the car should still be silent (there is no idling engine like in an ICE). It's not actually very loud and it's difficult to even hear it from inside the car.

The whole thing remind me of a sci-fi movie or book I once read where the laser guns didn't actually make any sound, but the manufacturer added a noise maker because the customers expected the gun to make a sound.

I don't believe there is any "beep beep" reverse gear noise with the Bolt, unlike the Leaf.

I was able to witness the pedestrian sound. Very cool sounding!

That being said, I don't sense a sound on backup. Is the pedestrian sound audible by persons behind the car?

From p. 106 of the Bolt EV manual:

"The automatic sound is generated
to indicate the vehicle presence to
pedestrians. The sound changes if
the vehicle is speeding up or
slowing down. It is activated when
the vehicle is shifted into a forward
gear or R (Reverse), up to 23 km/h
(14 mph)."

Update: I will be getting the back-up bulb since the Bolt does not make a sound from the rear in reverse.....

What size are the bulbs on the Bolt?

According to the manual it's a 921. I don't believe they make any of the backup light beepers in that size. You could still wire an external beeper to the reversing bulb wires, but it'd be a little more involved.

From the manual:
Exterior Lamp | Bulb Number
Back-Up Lamps| 921
License Plate Lamp | W5W LL
Rear Turn Signal Lamps | WY21W
Stoplamp/Taillamps | 7440

Correct, I cannot find a backup bulb (with sound) in the Bolt size. The bulbs are VERY small, it would seem.

Chevy Bolt Light Bulbs:

reverse bulb GM 13503360
brake bulb GM 13503356
rear turn signal GM 13503357

You can always do like the UPS drivers do....beep your horn before backing.

Does the Bolt not come with a reverse camera?

A light and noise isn't going to get much more attention than a whole moving vehicle. In other words, if someone is so distracted by their phone that they don't see a 3,000 lb object moving, then they aren't likely to notice a small light and noise.

I'd just reverse slowly, and if someone walks into the side of the car, they will realize they should pay attention to where they are going.

I once crept through an endless swarm of people in Las Vegas. There must have been a huge event that let out, and I was blocking the street waiting for pedestrians clear the entrance to a parking structure. Realizing that wasn't going to happen any time within the hour, I just crept through, and the sea of people diverted around.

People are pretty good about avoiding cars; it's the bicyclists that catch us drivers by surprise.

I had an EV before the Bolt, and had I not had a back-up-noise-making bulb installed, I am fairly certain I would have accidentally hit a couple of people in the three years I drove the thing.

EVs are VERY silent from the back side and backing out of a parking spot in a full lot is one major areas where people don't seem to pay attention. My near misses were at supermarkets and shopping malls having massive parking lots. With My Bolt, I just creep out SLOWLY. There ARE too many idiots on cell phones.

I tend to back into parking spaces for just this reason. Also, you can't predict the cross-traffic that might be there when you want to leave.