US Lawmakers To Force Quiet EVs To Make Noises
One of the joys of driving an electric car is the silence around town, but the American authorities have decided you’re not allowed to have that any more.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has ruled that from 2019 all new electric and hybrid vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of less than 10,000lb must make noises below 19mph.
It says it’s concerned for blind people crossing the road, estimating that 2400 pedestrian injuries will be prevented every year. Hmmm.
But that does mean that streets could become a confusion of different kinds of noises at different volumes, different pitches and at all sorts of frequencies. Paracetamol sales could skyrocket.
So, now manufacturers will need to decide how to make their EVs audible without turning them into the single most annoying thing in the world. We wish them good luck with that.
Source: Jalopnik
Comments
At below 19 mph a regular car with stock exhaust makes no engine noise either…
I think it should sound like a quad rotor 😀
I used to put a bottle in between the wheel well and tire to make sounds…
Good times…
I think they all should have a voice recording of Jeremy Clarkson shouting about how stupid electric cars are and how the driver is a complete clot
I’d laugh A LOT if they came up with something like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pbUMXZvfi8
I guess they’re nonstop smug douchy comments about hybrids arent loud enough.
Manufacturers should just give the customer a choice of many different engine sounds. Sounds should also be copiable from an USB drive you plug into the dash down to the car’s memory. Just like .mp3 files! Then you simply choose one like a ringtone in your mobile phone.
I’m waiting for Elon Musk to add a speaker that allows you to pick you own car sound. If you’re in the mood to drive a big block V8, just select it on your touchscreen. Maybe you want a screaming V12, just select it on your touchscreen. There are endless possibilities.
Horns were invented for a reason… there’s no need for constant noise for f*ck’s sake.
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