Is this really going to happen? Adding artificial noise. It’s a shame if so.

[roblab]

I believe it would become part of the state vehicle inspection - that's the way the commercial regs work -
"If the State requires all vehicles registered in the State to be inspected through its mandatory program, then the motor carrier must use the State program to satisfy the Federal requirements."

Regulations Section

Maybe in Boston. In CA they inspect gas/diesel vehicles for emissions. As electrics have no emissions (hybrids do, though) the state does not inspect electrics.

The "noisemaker" idea has been around for decades. 1997 and on at least, like the RAV4EV. It never caught on. There were several people who made videos of cars driving in parking lots at low speeds, and every time you could hear tire noise far before any engine noise. All this hoo-rah and fol-de-rol will never get anywhere. It's just stupid, and people will "fix" it in their cars, if they don't "fix" their legislators first.

Now, you also mention "commercial" regs. Most of us are not commercial drivers. This will not fly. My recommendation over the last two decades was that the quiet gas powered cars also have to have noisemakers, like the big Rolls Royces and Mercedes down to the up-scale Hondas and big Toyotas. Then the next group would be the lawmakers who have nice, expensive, relatively quiet gas cars, many of which are muffled to a mere whisper. Not going to happen in this world.

 

[Ken7]

After years of consideration, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) finally implemented what has now been known as the “quiet car rule” to force automakers to add a pedestrian noise device to its electric and hybrid vehicles.
“From article on electrek “

One of my favorite things about the car, and surely one of the most commented on by friends is how wonderfully quiet the car is. I really hate to see this happen.
I’m sorry this seems completely ridiculous

My wife’s Honda Clarity already has this.

 

[djlott]

What's the issue folks are having with this? That the car will make a safety noise for pedestrians that they won't hear themselves while driving?

Geez it reminds me when people lost their heads when they disallowed smoking in restaurants. Most felt it was an intrusion on their rights, even though they were happy not to smell smoke while eating.

Is this really that big a deal?

 

[SCW-Greg]

Someone posted a YouTube video showing the speaker grill location on newer Model 3 cars. When he removed the lower facia, there was no speaker, but 3 mounting studs where one would go. It's coming...

Erik

 

[SCW-Greg]

I would add... to be consistent, to be fair, it need not be any louder than the quietest gas car at the same speed. Otherwise all cars should then have the same emitter added.

 

[FlyinLow]

I would add... to be consistent, to be fair, it need not be any louder than the quietest gas car at the same speed. Otherwise all cars should then have the same emitter added.

Agree completely.

 

[steve841]

In my neck of the woods, the new high speed train is taking out at least 1 person a month....

If they wont move for a train, they aint gonna move for this.

 

[Darmie]

What's the issue folks are having with this?

Is this really that big a deal?

Yes it is. Our lawmakers must make laws, or so they think. It makes them feel good when they do and it justifies their existence. With the passing of each law your freedom becomes more and more extinct. Until there is an enforceable law against people doing dumb things, nothing will be resolved. Stop, look both ways and for the LOVE of all planetary life, put the cell phone down!
Where's the evidence of this being an issue? What or who is the driving force? Who's getting rich at your expense? I smell another feel good law that no one will care to examine the post evidence to determine if their law was justifiable, Um teaser alert, (they never do)...

 

[JPoldo]

When getting into my MS in a parking lot, I'd like to spoof nearby pedestrians with the sound of a Maserati ICE start-up. You know, that deep, throaty, race car sound. Has anyone implemented this in an EV? Brief engine noise from a Tesla would be much more fun than the fart sound.

 

[tranzndance]

When getting into my MS in a parking lot, I'd like to spoof nearby pedestrians with the sound of a Maserati ICE start-up. You know, that deep, throaty, race car sound. Has anyone implemented this in an EV? Brief engine noise from a Tesla would be much more fun than the fart sound.

I associate engine noise with fart sounds with corresponding emissions that are toxic.

 

[RAW84]

As long as it only works below say 20mph I'm not sure I care if it is introduced.

I care because the city wide speed limit (unless otherwise posted) in Boston was reduced to 25 mph a few years ago and they're already trying to get that reduced to 20. This artificial noise would be on and off all the time.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

What's the issue folks are having with this? That the car will make a safety noise for pedestrians that they won't hear themselves while driving?

Geez it reminds me when people lost their heads when they disallowed smoking in restaurants. Most felt it was an intrusion on their rights, even though they were happy not to smell smoke while eating.

Is this really that big a deal?

It's a problem in that one of the benefits of EVs is that they're quiet, and this reduces that benefit.

The law's based on some stats showing more incidents with pedestrians from quiet vehicles like hybrids.
I know, personal responsibility etc, but, that's how it is. And, blind people rely on sound, so they'll be helped.

The noise-maker are relatively high pitch, low volume and directed, so you won't hear them everywhere and their sound won't carry like engines.

 

[garygid]

The new regs show a broad spectrum frequency range, and specify (maybe suggest) db levels, and say that all cars of the same model should have the same sound.

So, no custom sounds, and not just higher frequencies.

Sound to come ON when not in Park mode (thus, in "idle") and stay on until moving faster than 30 km/h, turns ON again when slowing to under 25 km/h (as I recall).

I believe the sound must be heard from behind the car (and possibly to the sides?), as well as in front, so a forward-only speaker would require at least a rear speaker.

It appears that the M3 is planned to have only one down-facing speaker.

Apparently the only legal way to disable the sound would be to "shift" into Park.

Apparently these rule-makers feel that as EVs replace older, louder-than-average cars, the streets will get quieter, not louder.

It appears that, around areas of southern California, some famlies with many children just wander through parking lots without looking for moving or starting cars. Perhaps they believe that if a child is hit by a car, the family will become rich, with "acceptable losses"?

Since the ruling does not apply to "quiet" ICEs, and statistics on blind people injured by ICEs seemed to be ignored, I must believe that the funds behind this runing are likely to come from ... specific sources.

Maybe some of these blind people are just not paying attention, or are finally tired of living.
Also, of those injured or killed, how many of these accidents would have been avoided by the one involved car adding some "small" noise to the accident scene?

 

[D.E.]

There were similar laws when cars were first introduced, people were used to the sound of horses.

It may be that it is for new cars, then cars produced before the law went into effect wouldn’t be included. When seat belts became mandatory, there were no requirements for retrofits, catalytic converters either.

If a parking lot is silent then these noise makers might be useful. If not, the noisemaker noise is likely to be lost in the background. As far as frequency goes, if limited to high frequencies as suggested above so the sound doesn’t carry, those with high frequecy hearing loss won’t hear them. We’ll preferentially run over the old people. That might not be a bad thing. I’m an old person. There are worse ways to go.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

There were similar laws when cars were first introduced, people were used to the sound of horses.

It may be that it is for new cars, then cars produced before the law went into effect wouldn’t be included. When seat belts became mandatory, there were no requirements for retrofits, catalytic converters either.

If a parking lot is silent then these noise makers might be useful. If not, the noisemaker noise is likely to be lost in the background. As far as frequency goes, if limited to high frequencies as suggested above so the sound doesn’t carry, those with high frequecy hearing loss won’t hear them. We’ll preferentially run over the old people. That might not be a bad thing. I’m an old person. There are worse ways to go.

I always find hit-by-random-wheel videos funny, so it's only fitting that that's how I should go.

Hit in a parking lot is just stupid or annoying.

 

[Exiom]

I dont mind as long as I can customise what sound it plays... like a futuristic humming sound or even the cylon sounds

 

[tranzndance]

I want to see the look on people's faces when they turn around and realize my car is not an ice cream truck.

It would be even better in places where ice-cream trucks are unexpected, like private underground garages.

 

[chammerbeck]

How about stupid people just pay attention.....this nanny-stuff is out of control. Next thing the government will require is life jackets while using the toilet....you know....it's a drowning hazard! It's for the children!!!!!!!!!

 

[JoeMartin]

The second generation Chevrolet Volt has a low-speed sound emitter. It sounded like a vacuum cleaner, or a fan-type noise. It couldn't be heard from inside of the vehicle, unless you were in a parking garage with the windows down.
Wasn't really all that intrusive to have... But I still pulled the 20 amp fuse in the trunk to stop it.

 

[SalisburySam]

First model year 2011 Nissan LEAF had a back-up beep similar to that of a construction vehicle, and fairly loud. It also had a dash-mounted factory off switch for the noise. Then came the 2012 with the same noise but no off switch. Then came the 2013 and subsequent models also with no off switch but the ability to be turned off by connecting to the CAN bus. I am totally out of luck having a 2012. And the noise is loud, easily heard inside the vehicle, annoying for neighbors backing out of my garage, and universally disregarded by pedestrians in parking lots. Another mommy-state solution for a non-documented problem.