Lotus' Safe and Sound technology gives hybrids a voice

Okay, so maybe it's not a huge deal if your Civic Hybrid only hums around town, but when behind the wheel of say, a Lightning GT, you're going to want that bad boy to make some serious racket. Lotus is taking a somewhat fresh concept and kicking out an idea of its own in order to give some grunt back to battery-filled whips. Currently, the auto maker is utilizing a Prius (what, couldn't net an Elise loaner?) in order to show off its "Safe and Sound" technology (video after the break), which integrates a speaker setup just behind the front bumper in order to alert pedestrians just before they're mangled by an ultra-green, eco-friendly vehicle. Wonder if we'll ever be able to purchase new exhaust tones from our in-dash navigation system -- '69 Shelby GT500, anyone?

[Via Wired]

[KEROLiUKAS @ Aug 7th 2008 2:04AM]

Yea...Electric is just not the same.

[neofolklore @ Aug 7th 2008 7:36AM]

but at least I'll be able to mod it to blast trance music without having to buy 300W speakers

[Secret Squirrel @ Aug 7th 2008 2:02PM]

Reminds me of the house of the future: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7i8VFcguUY --Blinds are like regulars now! Mr. Show

[Macro @ Aug 7th 2008 3:38PM]

I was wondering the other day.. How might they make a prius even heavier?

[Michael Scrip @ Aug 7th 2008 2:05AM]

I saw this on Beyond 2000 on Discovery channel years ago... anyone remember?

[odaiwai @ Aug 7th 2008 3:14AM]

I remember reading about something like this in Car Magazine in the early 1990's. There, Lotus had taken a standard Citroen hatchback and added the hardware to make the engine sound of choice inside the cabin.

There was a choice of V8 and V12 engine sounds from Porsche and Ferrari as well as some other makers.

According to the report, the particular engine sound chosen affected the way people drove the car.

[kurt @ Aug 7th 2008 9:20AM]

I remember this from the movie The AbsentMinded Professor from 1961. He invents a flying Model-T that runs on "flubber" and has a noise maker to simulate an engine sound while he's driving on the street. Anyone remember that?

[mike @ Aug 7th 2008 2:17AM]

the guy at the end looks like his eyes are rolling up into his head

[Ali @ Aug 7th 2008 8:22AM]

He's blind you tit.

[Flashpoint @ Aug 7th 2008 2:18AM]

Please stand aside.

Ultra-liberal Tree hugger mobile coming through.

[phanbouy @ Aug 7th 2008 2:33AM]

Ahh.. Flashpoint, always keeping the world safe from progress through demagoguery.

[ShadowKain @ Aug 7th 2008 8:56AM]

@phanbouy,

demagoguery...didnt know you were that despereate to look smarter than you really are.

[Pochi @ Aug 7th 2008 12:31PM]

I took one look at "demagoguery" and legitimately laughed.

Phanbouy you are the MAN. And remember, the more you use those vocab words, the easier that vocab test will be on Friday!

[phanbouy @ Aug 7th 2008 12:59PM]

ShadowKain, wow, you know, it's so great that not only do you have no counter argument (or likely original thoughts of your own), but that you don't understand a word I use all the time and isn't that obscure.

Next time, check a dictionary before you make yourself look like the 3rd stupidest person in this latest car post.

[Pochi @ Aug 8th 2008 2:28PM]

lol "not only do you have no counter argument"

A counter argument to what? Not everybody wants to argue with you or "DEBATE" with you all the time. Some of us just enjoy watching you make a douchebag of yourself.

[Brandon David @ Aug 7th 2008 2:38AM]

Does anyone else wonder that if this is actually implemented into cars, will someone find a way for it to shout vulgarities at incoming pedestrians?

[diode3diode @ Aug 7th 2008 2:56AM]

...And people wonder why we have Critical Mass.

[BigD145 @ Aug 7th 2008 12:12PM]

I'd either disable the whole thing or add in a train horn.

[Jeff @ Aug 7th 2008 12:16PM]

there's already a device that can do just that: it's called a "window"

Look it up.
on Wikipedia.

:P

[Kain Azeroth @ Aug 7th 2008 12:58PM]

I have a PA speaker in the front of my car that connects to a CB radio with a PA output... with a few splices of the mike cable I added an extra input to the CB, so anything with a headphone jack can play whatever sound I want through the front speaker.

I've only used it for yelling a number of times... "Get off the phone and drive!" "The light is GREEN! and has been for quite some time!" etc. Much more affecting then a horn. Also if I recall correctly, Illegal in my state without some sort of police permission. The trouble is that you can impersonate and police officer over the PA and that could be quite bad.

If they are implemented, how long will it take someone to crack it open and make it do whatever they want?

Also, and if anyone is bored... Unpowered computer speakers + Headphone jack extension cord + some mounting hardware (i.e. screws/zipties) + laptop w/ mic = cheap car PA System

[Brandon David @ Aug 7th 2008 12:55PM]

What would the world do without Wikipedia? Surely, we'd all fall n our asses.

[Bunson @ Aug 7th 2008 1:47PM]

If I had one of these I would try my hardest to hack it so I can do a great number of stupid things with it that might land me with tickets.

[Derek @ Aug 7th 2008 2:42AM]

I'd buy the "sneaker squeak" tone. Very fitting. Haha

[Shinigami @ Aug 7th 2008 2:52AM]

I just don't get it. Is it really THAT hard to write a super-simple script? I mean cars already have computers, why not just add a script like
when you press accel pedal
a sound is played.

Its a child's play for an experienced programmer.

[wodheila @ Aug 7th 2008 7:09AM]

I know. How about those dingy chimes and voices like on the airport terminal trains...."ding, ding...a car is approaching".

[Jeff @ Aug 7th 2008 12:20PM]

....that looks like almost exactly is what's going on here. except less stupidly simplistic.

"throttle-position-sensor" is just a fancy way of saying "how we know how hard you're pressing the pedal"

...and instead of just "making a noise" (would you really want your car driving down the street just playing a note? it's be like your horn was both crappy, and stuck.) it makes a "range of noises" that resemble the sound of an engine.

[kwen25 @ Aug 7th 2008 2:56AM]

It's too bad they don't use white noise, so that it would blend into background noise for people who are indoors. I already get enough excessive engine noise from adolescents acting like their four-cylinder car is for racing.

[Prokanda @ Aug 7th 2008 5:02AM]

no, I'm not a teen and yes most 4 cyls are made for efficiency.. but what would you consider a 291hp stock Evo? a 197hp 6speed Si? maybe a 200hp 6speed SE-R? or perhaps the now-defunct 185hp 6 speed celica GTS?

these are 4-cyls that put out between 200 (roughly) and 300 hp and before you say "yeah, but teens don't have cars that cost that much" there were many decent horsepower vehicles based on 4 cylinder engines driven by some of the seniors at my highschool.

and yes, fart-can mufflers are useless and annoying... but some professional exhaust systems have a less-than-desirable sound to them as well. even some very expensive cat-back exhaust systems.

not to mention... japanese 4cyls are bullet-proof.

I remember the cover of a car mag (I still have it somewhere) in which they managed 814hp out of a Honda H22 (this is the highly sought-after prelude DOHC engine). twin turbos and such. in a little, blue, 94 civic hatch.

kids are spoiled these days and while you might be right about some of them.. many teens these days actually take the time to learn the engineering aspect of things. just because it gets 25-35mpg doesn't mean it's grossly underpowered when compared to your 85 IROC.

[Hugh @ Aug 7th 2008 6:40AM]

@Prokanda

the mitsubishi evo fq400 had 400bhp stock from a 2l, 4pot engine in the uk.

http://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?ei=UTF-8&p=top+gear+fq400&meta=vc%3D&fr2=tab-web&fr=FP-tab-web-t340

[Jeff @ Aug 7th 2008 11:41AM]

Kwen25 - i'm with you. there are plenty of kids driving around their mom's hand-me-down honda with a 4" exhaust and a fart-can-amplifier... that's annoying.

then again, there are plenty of jack-tastic bigger-kids in my neighborhood redlining a crappy old V8 and that's just as bad.

[Jeff @ Aug 7th 2008 11:43AM]

@Prokanda - the little 185hp celica has nothing on my turbocharged 3.0 liter inline 6 in my '89 supra. :D

[dervheid @ Aug 7th 2008 3:11AM]

Nah. Keep 'em quiet.
Then if the Tree-Hugging Hippies get their way, we'll all end up having to drive these f***ing things. Sounds like a bummer, but remember, the THH's will still all be pedestrians and cyclists. 'Silent Running' will introduce a new element of natural selection in the THH genepool, as only the truly alert ones with excellent hearing will be able to hear these babies creeping up on them. Bonus being, it'll all have been THEIR IDEA in the first place!

God Bless Charles Darwin.

[phanbouy @ Aug 7th 2008 3:17AM]

Darwin couldn't have predicted that fat, lazy slobs who can't/won't even go for a walk in their own sprawlburbs would reproduce like rabbits on meth.

Humans have broke evolution. Welcome to Idiocracy.

[phanbouy @ Aug 7th 2008 3:36AM]

One last thing before I sign off, I've seen a lot of talk here lately about "tree hugging hippies" and I want to support these statements.

I fucking hate trees. Burn them all. Trees suck with their stupid birds and shade. Give me barbed wire and smoke stacks. If you like trees you are therefore an extremist, hate showers, and wear tie dye, and I will run you over. Thanks, and remember, Big Oil loves you.

[dervheid @ Aug 7th 2008 5:46AM]

Yahoo!
Low ranked by the THH's and/or the phanbouy and his fan(ny)s.

I love the smell of napalm in the morning!

(for "napalm" read "shit-heads")

I Thank You!

[Jeff @ Aug 7th 2008 11:46AM]

actually, dervheid, i tihnk you're low-ranked because your comments are really stupid.

...and *trust me* - the last thing i want to do is agree with phanbouy.
see what you've made me do?!

[Unknown @ Aug 7th 2008 3:23AM]

Solution: Crank up stereo.

[woolf @ Aug 7th 2008 3:36AM]

I would want to be able to do one of two things for my Prius:

1) Immediately disable this stupid feature, just as I can disable the annoying inside the car reverse beep sounds. I really enjoy being able to drive in "silent" mode (which it never really is as the tires make noise even when the gas engine is off, it's just not the noise people have been trained to expect).

2) Modify it by changing the sound. I would like to have clown car noises alerting the blind and those too stupid to look both ways just because they cannot hear a car coming. Or maybe change the engine vroom sound to thundering chariot sound, or an old model-T engine, or the clickity-clack of a roller coaster going up a hill. Wouldn't it be fun to be walking down the street and suddenly you hear the noise of a group of guys playing basketball coming down the street, with the squeaky shoe noises and the thumping echo of the ball bouncing on the court.

I am not a car guy, so having a big engine vroom noise when I drive has never, ever been a priority (I guess I am comfortable with the size of my unit).

[James Bowe @ Aug 7th 2008 9:01AM]

that sneaker squeek idea is classic. the idea of pedestrians hearing a basketball game approaching at 40mph has me laughing hysterically.

As for the ignorants - what's up with all the hating? Tree-huggin hippies? Look, if you can't understand the basic science behind global warming, or decided that you don't care about the our future survivability, then blast the AC and buy a hummer. That's your choice. We can't stop you, and we're not trying to. We simply don't want to be a part of the problem. You choose to destroy, we choose to tread lightly. We choose women, you choose defenseless farm-animals. But there's no reason we can't all get along....

[anonymousaversa @ Aug 7th 2008 11:30AM]

Right Woolf, just because a person enjoys the sound of a well designed motor, it means they're overcompensating.

Keep in mind, you'd enjoy the sound of a rollercoaster going uphill as a replacement for your engine sound. Are you really in any position to judge?

[Jeff @ Aug 7th 2008 11:49AM]

@anonymousaversa hahaha totally.

[Jeff @ Aug 7th 2008 11:56AM]

@woolf - as an aside, have you ever actually driven a fast car? i've had a couple of friends that said about the same thing; "oh i don't care about cars, probably because my penis is huge"

...But letting them drive one of my cars*, every one of them, after stomping on the gas for a minute, always have the same response: "oooohhh."


* = when i say "my cars" i mean either my 300hp '89 supra, 325hp 93 S4, or the 350HP 2005 S4, but that last real nice one belongs to my roommate. i *wish* it was mine, but i'm far too cheap. :)

[Ayman @ Aug 7th 2008 3:40AM]

I want mine to sound like Train.... with the horn

[lens42 @ Aug 7th 2008 3:47AM]

I can't wait to hear the "cartones" you be able to buy. If I had a Tesla with this feature, I'd want these sounds:
1) Shelby Cobra
2) Sherman Tank (with rattling track noise)
3) A long list of classic muscle cars
4) A beat-up Dodge Dart sound - with sticky valves
The possibilities are endless.

Don't most states have "peal out" laws that read something like "unnecessary noise with a motor vehicle.."?

This will be fun.

[Mobius_1 @ Aug 7th 2008 4:03AM]

Oooo that's quite a list, should make city centres quite entertaining, if very noisy

Oh yeah, wasn't the crazy frog thing someone doing a (very quirky) imitation of a two stroke engine? That would be quite a tune to play from a hybrid

[SoulinEther @ Aug 7th 2008 4:38AM]

you'd have to imagine there would be some limitations.... and I know california has some law/statute/something to that effect.

If you could choose any old "cartone" for your Tesla, while you may be doing wonders for air pollution, you might be generating a ton of sound pollution in its place.

[allenvanhellen @ Aug 7th 2008 3:54AM]

Aw, shucks! I kinda liked the idea of there being less noise in the future.

Maybe instead of installing sound synthesis programs on hybrids, we could instill some sort of safety lesson in people, something like, oh, I don't know, "look both ways before you cross the street."

[agroupofletters @ Aug 7th 2008 10:03AM]

Yeah, and just let those blind fuckers get run over, they're weakening the gene pool already.

On a more serious note, I think a better solution would be to install some sort of radio in all electric cars that would send out a signal and have a reciever installed in canes/walking sticks (blind people use them and I dont know what they're called) and that way everybody wins!

[allenvanhellen @ Aug 7th 2008 11:00AM]

Well, we all need to use the crosswalks. With the amount of taxes we pay, we should have crosswalks on every street, but somebody somewhere up there has different priorities I guess.

Good idea about the radio beacon for walking sticks. It could beep like a metal detector, where it beeps slowly when a car is far away and steady if its within 50 feet, and it could also rise in pitch according to speed.

Oooh! The walking sticks could have the radio beacons, and the cars would beep or make sound only when a blind person is around! That's probably better. That way, the blind person can use their stereo hearing to locate the car.

[Mutant @ Aug 7th 2008 5:42PM]

@allenvanhellen

Yeah and the "walking sticks" could make a noise like rain when you shake them. That would be great for blind walkabouts!