In the European Union as in the United States, from 2020 it will become mandatory to add artificial sound to electric and hybrid vehicles, as a safety standard. This is because the vehicles of this technology do not emit sound while they are moving, which becomes dangerous for pedestrians and other vehicles that are on public roads.

For this reason, various manufacturers are beginning to design sounds for their electric and hybrid models.

Based on the previously mentioned context and having to design an artificial sound for our hybrid and electric models, we wondered if the sound, in addition to fulfilling its functional role to comply with the regulations, could do something else, such as benefit the environment.

Based on the previously mentioned context and having to design an artificial sound for our hybrid and electric models, we wondered if the sound, in addition to fulfilling its functional role to comply with the regulations, could do something else, such as benefit the environment.

Global research on how noise affects plants shows that they react to specific waveform spectrum vibrations (between 250-2500Hz). When exposed to a specific range of frequencies, plants show better growth and absorption of nutrients.

Taking these findings as a starting point, we decided to design a sound for vehicles that, contrary to damaging their environment, benefits them. With this information in mind, we've developed The Hy Project, the first AVAS sound that benefits the environment.

Toyota is a pioneer in implementing technologies that help reduce the impact of fossil fuels. This is demonstrated in its ever-expanding line of electric and hybrid vehicles.

When the news about the regulation of the need to generate an artificial sound for vehicles that do not generate their own noise (product of combustion engines), the spirit of the brand decided to position itself on how this regulation could become an opportunity to continue making the good to the environment.

For this reason and after much research and development, The Hy Project was born.

The Hy Project device began to be applied in electric and hybrid vehicles in Uruguay, being used as a testing platform, at the end of 2019.

At the beginning of 2020, the Government of Uruguay considered the project of national interest.

In the same period, The Hy Project began to be applied in a limited number of hybrid and electric vehicles at the assembly plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for local models and others that were shipped to Argentina.

Currently, hundreds of electric and hybrid units are walking the streets of the main cities of Latin America.