By Robert Emslie
Along with their general lack of range, one of the major downsides of an electric car is its total fail in the cool noise department. Engine noise, or more succinctly a car’s exhaust note, is one of the most important ways we subjectively judge a car’s coolness factor, and the electric car’s puny swooooooosh just doesn’t make the grade.
There’s another issue with the paucity of sound that electric cars generate in operation, lawmakers have discovered that, like sneaky flatulence, they can be silent but deadly. Quiet cars may make for good neighbors, but on the street apparently they need to do more in announcing their presence, lest they run down the errant pedestrian.
Of course, you might think that’s just Darwin’s Law in action, and that a few distracted peds crossing the street can only be a good thing. That however doesn’t take into account the blind or your grandmother, hence the supposed need for an audible warning. Should that be the case and electrics’ be required to emit some sort of beeping noise as the law requires, is that going to be generally awful? Wouldn’t it be better to imbue the cars with some sort of internal combustion engine sound? Heck, you could choose from a plethora, even race cars as the volume would be controlled. Regardless of what sound they make, do you think electric cars should be required to make a sound at all?
Image source: Autoblog Green
Jeff Glucker
Nah, there should just be an app on your phone that detects when an electric car is about to run you down while you are playing facebook whilst crossing the street on red.
I think electric cars should make some kind of noise, but perhaps not this one.
[youtube mvLxPQ-7VuA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvLxPQ-7VuA youtube]
That's really silly, and not in a good way, the blind would just assume it's lovely birdies not painful death approaching. Personally if I could change my car's approaching sound I would make it the one the vehicles from the Jetsons made. Or maybe a ping from a sonar. Gah way too many choices!
Ping from a sonar? Now that is fantastic! Put on your Jürgen Prochnow mask and the game is on.
"Give me a ping, Vasili. One ping only, please."
Yes, V-8 gas powered noise generators.
<img src="http://image.popularhotrodding.com/f/hard-driving/chrysler-hemi/31152707/chrysler-victory-siren.jpg"width=500>
Might need to tone down the volume just a touch.
I really hope that goes up to 11.
It has a four mile sound range. Not quite the volume level of a Disaster Area concert, and perhaps lacking a bit of the sonic delicacy, but yes, this one goes to 11.
They both explode for no adequately explored reason.
The Tesla Model S sedan's sound system already goes up to 11 (no, that's not a photochop…it really does).
<img src="http://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/tesla/model-s/2013/lt/2013_tesla_model-s_aud_lt_32013_600.jpg" width="600">
Totally awesome with the cowling removed.
I want those headers in my (imaginary) Dart Demon.
There should be a Chrysler part number for them.
The siren has a range of 20 miles, but anyone with about 3 miles will here the Hemi fire up.
I don’t think that electric cars should be required to have artificial noise generation. They are no quieter than many high end luxury vehicles with ICEs, anyway. If it is as big of a concern as they want to make it out to be, it should be a minimum volume for any vehicle, and not just electrics. With all of the sensors that cars have, how difficult would it be to have an externally audible sound when someone or something was approaching a moving electric car? Why make it artificially louder all the time?
This is going to be one of those Euro v. US things isn't it? We will be stuck in US with DOT approved constant noise generators, while in Europe they will only sound the horn automatically.
Of course they should have to have a sound generator. With songs you could download like a ringtone on your phone. So everyone knows it's your jam as you roll.
/bangs head on desk.
Highway Star.
Motorhead, obvs.
Lemmy FTMFW.
I'm thinking something like this.
[youtube dzzqFFKwOik http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzzqFFKwOik youtube]
Not gonna lie, my ringtone for a few of my contacts is "Mulatto Butts".
Thinking of changing the default to "Danger Zone", too.
Warm Leatherette for me, thanks.
Cat Party!
[youtube anCVuxP9NA0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anCVuxP9NA0 youtube]
No. Electric cars will presumably have horns, and it's the driver's responsibility not to hit pedestrians. Also the world is too noisy already. I've been in bucolic suburbs where road noise has ruined the experience completely.
Hell yes, they should make sounds. Maybe on acceleration they should sound like this:
[youtube FzCsDVfPQqk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzCsDVfPQqk youtube]
And on deceleration they should sound like this, with the explosion at the end informing the hard of seeing that the vehicle has stopped.
[youtube _x-Q85l3sCs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x-Q85l3sCs youtube]
I was expecting these sounds.
[youtube wsE5xna401s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsE5xna401s youtube]
I don't think it's necessary. But make their drivers wear this, dear lawmakers:
<img src="http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/rich-tehrani/uploads/propeller-head.jpg">
…and then there is this and open windows: <a href="http://www.soundracer.se/?p=98” target=”_blank”>http://www.soundracer.se/?p=98
It's an electric car, it deserves electric noises. ZZZZZZZAP! ZZZZZAP! hummmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! ZAP!
The fun begins at around the 2:00 mark:
[youtube 8H3dFh6GA-A http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H3dFh6GA-A youtube]
NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
<img src="http://nooooooooooooooo.com/vader.jpg">
That would get pretty annoying by hour three of a twelve-hour road trip*.
*Were road trips ever to become possible with electric cars
Yes. My 2021 Kia Pessimista will sound like this: [youtube nZZ504TGDpE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZZ504TGDpE youtube]
Can't we just fast forward to the Gattaca future where we all drive rare 50s French and American cars that sound vaguely electric?
Sounds good to me! I'll take a Citroen SM with all the goodies and none of the troubles.
Sounds good to me! I'll take Uma Thurman with all the goodies and none of the troubles.
I have been hit by a car once while on a bicycle (a woman coming from the opposite direction made a left turn into my bike), and twice more while I was on foot. All of those incidents involved conventional internal-combustion automobiles, which I saw coming towards me but still was not able to avoid (technically, I could have avoided the last one, but I jumped in to stop a runaway car). I know a few other people who have been on the pedestrian side of auto-pedestrian accidents, none of which involved electric vehicles.
There are plenty of ways to get hit by a car. I don't think the noisemakers are necessary.
<img src="http://myquoteshome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/tumblr_mbjc1zg7Xd1rzcaajo1_500.jpg">
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8520264324_ebf81bbede.jpg" width="500">
Noise generator? Personally, I don't want to carry the extra weight.
If you can't hear the squeaking, you're probably a safe enough distance away.
If, as a society, we feel that a minimum sound level should be produced by some cars, then it should be applied to all cars, regardless of their power plant or drive train configuration.
As an electric car driver for the past four years, my opinion on the matter has evolved:
– At first I was against it, because I pictured something like the sound large trucks make when they reverse (a mostly North American feature, by the way).
– Then the Nissan LEAF came out and I got to listen to its sound generator. It can barely be heard from within the car, so it doesn't really affect the drivers and it announces the car's presence without being obnoxious.
– Finally, it occurred to me that, as a pedestrian in parking lots, I've been surprised by cars that I did not hear coming. Most of these cars were late model with gasoline (and even one diesel!) engines.
Of course, once a car is moving at street speed (say, above 20MPH), the tires provide enough sound.
As an EV driver, I'm conscious that pedestrians don't know that I'm there. Like a lot of issues, proper education and not mandated gadgets will go a long way towards a solution.
Begone with you and your common sense!
I've had the opportunity to spend some time behind the wheel of a Volt lately and I was surprised how pleasing the quiet was. The first time I drove it I turned off the climate control and stereo and just enjoyed the silence.
It really changed my perception of the vehicle. It would be a shame to screw that up.
Might lose something without the video.
[youtube gNrGhekg8GI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNrGhekg8GI youtube]
What they really need is smug suppressors.
So long as they don't beep, the world needs fewer beeps.
I freak out whenever I'm riding my bike and come across a Prius, because they're dead silent in battery mode.
Maybe bikes should have noise generators also.
<img src="http://www.jbikes.net/images/sunlite_straight_bicycle_horn-200×180.jpg"width=400>
They should all play Wagners Ride Of The Valkyries. Scares the shit out of the Gooks.
Charlie don't Surf !
Nah.
<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6oygvNmPY1rzabfqo1_500.jpg">
Regardless of any federal mandate, when an electric car inevitably makes its way into my ownership, it will have a sound generator that sounds exactly like George Jetson's.
Electric Smart with a Yakety Sax / Benny Hill Theme music generator, oh yeah…
They should sound like George Jetson's spaceship "car".
http://youtu.be/QdWswvLPdE0
Having electric cars use artificial noise generators is the modern-day equivalent of having a guy with a flag walk along in front of early horseless carriages – you can see why some people think it might be a good idea now, but in a few years' time people will be wondering why anybody thought it was worth the bother.
I'd propose a solution involving an old baseball card and a clothespin…
It so needs this sound and to be able to turn up to 11!
[youtube S5_svSADYks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5_svSADYks youtube]