Washington establishing timeline for sales of 'loud' EVs
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted May 20th 2010 3:19PM
posted May 20th 2010 3:19PM
Whenever we test drive an EV, we try to bring along a passenger who screams things out the window like "Beware! Silent car!" and "Electric vehicle! Don't get hit!" But we understand that for some of you this might not be an option. Luckily, it looks like initiatives to outfit electric vehicles with warning sounds have been picking up steam, from the Pedestrian Safety Act last year to a new bill that would have the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration establish a three year timeline for auto manufacturers. According to Autoblog, "there's no word as to how loud the noise would be or what it will sound like," although drivers would not be able to turn it off, and it would likely be variable, depending on your speed -- not unlike the system Brabus uses in its Smart High Voltage EV. As for your car-lovin' Engadget editors, we're already looking for one that emulates the growl of the '68 Ford Mustang that Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt.
its completely safe.
@AdmAckbar. It's a Trap!
The Irony
@Lord Vader They should make a car that sounds like your pod racer from your earlier years...
@deanm. Pod Racer? I think a Tie-Fighter sounding car would be more enticing. It's horn will be "Pew Pew", and it will be so loud, it blows the object in front of the vehicle away to a safe distance
©Lord Vader
@Lord Vader
Lord Vader, I apologize for traveling into the future and stealing your PEW PEW idea. Please don't force choke me.
@ttsgeb. I was wise in copyrighting mine. I'll see you in court
@Lord Vader To bad you assisted in the dissolving of the council. Legal matters are no longer handled by courts but by that damn Darth Sidious and you as his ruthless inforcer. Imperial scum.
@AdmAckbar Easy fix I am thinking. Just find where the speaker is that emits this sound, and disable it in between inspections. I do this every year with the catalytic converter.
@Lord Vader
Technically mine was "PEW PEW PEW" rather than your "Pew Pew" AND my comment did not involve spacecraft in any form. Therefore, you have no case. Still though, please don't force choke me...
@AdmAckbar great so they're trading one form of pollution for noise pollution, what idiots do they have thinking these up?
How idiotic.
I can see it now, Obama is going to mandate that all EVs be equipped with whistler tips. Woo woo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0FxH5Oc4wU
@AdmAckbar
As the country's IQ slips another couple points, let me point out that if you were doing what your mother told you do to... LOOK BOTH GODDAMNED WAYS... you wouldn't need this crap.
@Lord Vader
I knew that idea on copyright-ing everything had to come from the dark side...
@AdmAckbar
I want a car that makes the Ticki-Ticki sound like the smoke monster . That'll get people to move out of the way.
@Slappy Wag
assuming you can see...jackass
Maybe we'll finally have cars that sound like George Jetson's.
@CityZen I vote for Mario Kart music!!
@CityZen I logged in just so I can add that same comment. You beat me to the punch.
@scnarf It also needs to play Toad's "Yahoooo" sound when you are passed by somebody just to make sure that nobody ever buys an electric car.
Interesting. People complain about noise from the city, traffic and what not. A car finally comes along and it's quiet. Now people complain that it's "unsafe" for pedestrians? Since when was it ever safe to cross the street without looking or paying attention to where you go? NOW we need to make noise again for all the lazy asses out there. Nice.
I will add a damn train horn to my EV! I won't alert you, I will scare that shit out of you! :D
@AbSoluTc I know! Why can't people look at the street before they cross it
@AbSoluTc They are doing this for blind pedestrians
@freddyace
Are you serious? Don't blind people cross the road at points where there is beeping thing so they know it's a "walk" signal
@AbSoluTc
I would rather it yell "PEW PEW PEW" to make the idiot pedestrians think that they are getting lazer'd.
@ttsgeb
Lol, love it! :)
@AbSoluTc
amen, preach, +1, agreed and how ever else I can say that cars making more noise is a bad idea. PAY ATTENTION EVERYONE.
@AbSoluTc I'm sure they don't do it for the people, but rather to fend off the lawyers that convince the people that there's money to be made by blaming these silent cars for their carelessness.
And besides, as with a lot of things safety devices also make up for carelessness of other people, and not yourself. Sort of like wearing seat belts -- you the perfect driver would never need it, but there's always the offhand risk of an idiot swerving into your way at the wrongest time.
@AbSoluTc
I came in to say the very same thing. I want quieter cars. People will adapt to the eerie silence by looking around.
Reminds me of all the unfounded fears that came along with the horseless carriage, or doctors claiming that traveling on a train at 35MPH would kill a body.
Lots of good points everyone. It's sad things have to make noise for people to pay attention or to ward off lawsuits. I for one would love NOT to hear cars. It would be nice to actually hear - nature for one. Silence is golden. The less noise, the better. People would be less stressful believe it or not.
It's really sill to give something that makes NO noise, noise. Face palm.
@AbSoluTc I agree with you, putting noises on cars is stupid. If this is for blind people, they can instead choose to embed small transmitters into cars, and blind people can then buy receivers that tell them when a car is approaching.
My wife has a Prius, I love driving it when it's in EV mode. The silence is golden. I'm going to be pissed if future electric cars really are forced to make artificial noise.
@AbSoluTc The issue of cars making noise is not a binary one! If I don't like loud cars, it does not mean that I want all cars to be noiseless. If I think cars should make noise, it does not mean that all cars should be very loud. It's a matter of deciding the "appropriate" level of noise.
@AbSoluTc
I know it goes against nature, bring back natural selection FTW!!!
@AbSoluTc
Muahahaha I have a train horn in my truck. I've been keyed, screamed at, had things thrown at me... and I sit there and laugh every time.
Here you all go, watch and laugh your asses off!
http://www.hornblasters.com/video.php?pic=39
@AbSoluTc
I hate noise pollution. They are creating legislation for a problem that DOESN'T EXIST.
If they're going to do this, I hope they at least go with white or pink noise.
White/pink noise has the benefit of being one of the easiest sounds for the location-sensing part our brain's auditory system to work with. Plus it doesn't cause annoyance, and in fact is often used to mask other annoying sounds and used to help people relax.
I recall reading that some European country has emergency vehicles which alternate between a siren and white noise to help other drivers determine which direction the vehicle is coming from, since the direction of a siren alone is difficult to discern.
I would love it if it sounded like the Jetson's spacecar, or little bubbles.
@GravityDesignStudios
dagonit, you beat me to it.
@GravityDesignStudios I think they should just require playing cards in the wheel spokes... that would do the trick nicely.
Last century solution to this century problem = FAIL
I want it to sound like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdWswvLPdE0
@nscreated
This.
Also: downloadable sound packages ftw
@GGG
I have suggested downloadable sounds for electric vehicles be called "rolltones".
I too wonder if this is necessary. I doubt any scientifically valid studies have been done, just fear-inducing anecdotes about a killer bicyclist or something like that. We get the chance to enjoy some positive side-effect of technology (silence), and "vrooom" there it goes. Why not focus more on pedestrian-avoidance tech- something likely to be much more practical with all those cars-driving-themselves pilots out there.
@dajimmers In Japan studies have been made with blind people. It's a real problem.
@scnarf
Ever heard of Natural Selection?
@ScrapMaker Ever heard of you're an idiot? ;P
@scnarf Maybe they should hear where they're going
@scnarf cites? links?
@dajimmers Dont they have seeing eye dogs and beeping crosswalks?