Ducati SuperSport 950 S Akrapovic Exhaust
Loud Arkapovi exhausts on a Ducati Supersport 950S

These loud exhaust detection cameras can accurately spot the vehicle causing sound that exceeds limit

Soon, the entire transportation ecosystem will come under the lens as another new technology involving cameras, loud exhaust detection system, is inching closer to deployment to track and fine all the vehicles whose exhaust sounds exceed the permissible limits.

The pilot project is ready for unveil at 6 undisclosed cities of California state in the United States and the automated enforcement programme is set to run for 5 years before full-fledged implementation throughout the country and, if needed, the world over.

Called sound-activated enforcement system, the equipment reportedly consists of high-resolution magnifying cameras paired with high-sensitive sound sensors controlled by a main controller unit.

These cameras and the sensors are placed at prime hotspots throughout the city. Whenever the sensors detect a loud exhaust note, the information is passed on to the controller unit which directs the cameras to pinpoint the vehicle and its license plate thereby clicking pictures of it for further action.

Speed Camera
The speed detection camera is already in force in India

The overall working methodology is similar to the high-speed detection cameras already in action in India.

Though general public might welcome this move, it will be a big issue for performance car and bike manufacturers as well as enthusiasts as many sports cars easily exceed the permissible limit of 80-95 decibels in the country.

For example, the 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS produces 108 decibels straight out of the factory while the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and 2019 McLaren 720S Spider produce 99 decibels at their tail pipe.

With the system being new, there’s also possibility of false positives with the innocent getting blamed and charged. Nevertheless, it might also push more and more people to embrace electric powertrain.

As far as India is concerned, government has already started the pilot project of tracking vehicle movement for toll collection using satellite GPS navigation.

The collection will start the moment a car hits a toll road and the charges are exactly as per the kilometers covered by the car in the said road. So, more the kilometers, more will be the charges for the car owners.