Should EVs Make Artificial Sounds at Low Speeds?

[Brent]

Would you like every car on the road making noise or would you have them transmit a silent signal that is received by a box that is carried by one of the 10 million blind in the US?

I'd go for this idea.

As a point of reference, the FAA's new ADS-B requirement will soon require all airplanes to carry transmitters to announce their position.

FAA - Surveillance and Broadcast Services


This technology is supposed to help pilots do their own traffic avoidance, and ease congestion by allowing planes to fly closer together. Right now, radar updates so slowly that controllers are forced to space airplanes several minutes apart to "guarantee" minimum separation.

ADS-B is expensive -- even cheap ones are said to cost $6,000+ -- but some similar announcing technology could be used for cars. It would actually be nice to have the ability to know that another car is in your blind spot, and the blind could have similar receivers alerting them to passing cars.

 

[vfx]

I heard that in Japan they have cell phones and toys that do the proximity notification we are talking about. It's been a meeting/ dating fad for teens.

 

[malcolm]

Do we really need more gadgets to carry around? Particularly ones which will only be needed in a somewhat narrow set of circumstances and must be purchased/subsidized by/for those on invalidity levels of income.

The advantage of ordinary hearing is that you can immediately identify the direction of the sound source. Some sort of personal-quiet-car-detector would have to communicate direction in a NON-visual way. Tricky = expensive.

 

[doug]

Another story about cars not being noisy enough.

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

Minnesota boy rides bike into Prius he didn't hear - AutoblogGreen

 

[malcolm]

The technology already exists for cars to spot pedestrians;

Toyota introduces Night View on Japanese Crown Hybrid - AutoblogGreen

Could be linked to a Hypersonic Sound System - or just an old fashioned horn.

 

[malcolm]

More ideas - still no progress

Stanford students think PANDA is the answer to silent EVs/hybrids - AutoblogGreen

 

[malcolm]

Nice looking bracelet

Vibering concept warns of impending vehicles - AutoblogGreen

But will the price of this be subsidised for members of the disabled community?

 

[SByer]

What about cellphones? Can't we just piggyback off of that? Bet we could even hack together a BlueTooth solution now. Could even probably just use donated old cellphones. May require re-flashing those phones without Java, but it'd be pretty darned cheap.

And I'd buy $2000 worth of those bracelets for the disabled if it meant I didn't have to have any lame sound generator on my car.

 

[malcolm]

That's a good idea SBuyer - could use the extended Bluetooth range of 100 metres. Existing tech. Like it!

 

[malcolm]

Oh no, not Lotus as well!

Lotus gives hybrids a V8 soundtrack - Autoblog

Video here

 

[dpeilow]

Is it me, or is this just naff? I'd rather lose the weight of the equipment!

 

[DaveD]

Agreed. Unless a law is passed, I see little reason to add a noisemaker.

And for the companies working on generators, here's a clue: I don't want your sounds; I want to be able to have it generate sounds of my choosing. For me, if my Roadster has to make a noise, it's gonna be the cool Jetson's car sound. I've always liked that sound. Also, make these generators have the ability to sense ground speed, and to vary the sound based on it.

 

[doug]

For me, if my Roadster has to make a noise, it's gonna be the cool Jetson's car sound. I've always liked that sound. Also, make these generators have the ability to sense ground speed, and to vary the sound based on it.

Coming in for a landing.

 

[malcolm]

LOL. That's perfect!

 

[DaveD]

Ha! Thanks, doug!

 

[dpeilow]

BBC NEWS | Business | Electric cars get noise boost

 

[doug]

BBC NEWS | Business | Electric cars get noise boost

A solution in search of a problem.
That Prius driving by sounded no different than say your standard Camry driving by in a parking lot at that speed.

 

[Laurent]

A solution in search of a problem

When I pull up in my driveway, I wouldn't mind being able to turn on some kind of noisemaker. I have cats that roam around and obviously I don't want to run them over. More importantly, if my kids are playing outside, it'd be nice for them to hear that a car is coming, even though I always drive super slow.

 

[dpeilow]

A solution in search of a problem.

Exactly. These people that have a problem with looking before they cross the road must already be a serious menace to cyclists

I was actually passed by an Audi diesel 10 minutes ago that I could hardly hear.

 

[vfx]

Related:
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/video/1220-noise-pollution.html

and here:
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/tesl...feel-about-sound-lack-roadster-will-make.html

Silent cars may need a secondary gentle horn. Maybe it has a "continuous on" and or an "intermittent on" that gives a steady or "blinking" muted sound.