Toyota Crown Hybrid Max debuts, NHTSA nixes EV sounds, state charging proposals: Today’s Car News

The federal government has put the kibosh on the possibility of some fun sounds to alert pedestrians. U.S. states are mapping out their pieces of a national EV charging network. And the Toyota Crown Hybrid Max takes a bow. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. 

Toyota has reconstituted its largest sedan, the Avalon, into the Crown by raising the ride height and the roofline a bit and adding some SUV cues. This “reimagined” sedan is the first Toyota model to offer its new Hybrid Max performance-hybrid system, which drives the wheels directly with electric motor torque in front and in back. 

The federal government has said no to a proposal that would have allowed automakers more freedom with EV sound design for “quiet car” rules—in the form of switchable or customizable low-speed pedestrian alerts. 

And a number of U.S. states are racing to submit electric vehicle charging-infrastructure plans, ahead of a September 30 deadline to receive funds that are part of the $5 billion set aside for a national network of stations. Concurrently, states are drawing out the Alternative Fuel Corridors needed for charging stations to qualify.  

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