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Should EVs Make Artificial Sounds at Low Speeds?

Discussion in 'Electric Vehicles' started by Brent, Apr 10, 2008.

  1. JimBob 909

    JimBob 909 Little Red Raven

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    I have had a couple instances where pedestrians are lolly-gagging and don't know I'm waiting to turn or pass them. Rather than honk (you can just tap the horn) I just wait patiently. It is cool how quiet the car is. I think a subtle noise at slow speeds is a good idea.
     
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  2. daniel

    daniel Active Member

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    The ability to make a noise that's less jarring than the horn, is a good idea. Also the ability to switch on a back-up beeper is a good idea. A noise that you have no control over is a terrible idea. Every car (not just EVs!) should have a jarring horn for when someone's about to swerve into you, a less-jarring noise that tells pedestrians that you are creeping up behind them, and a beeper for when you back out of blind parking spaces. No car should make a noise except when the driver judges that it's appropriate.
     
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  3. arnis

    arnis Member

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    Driven EV for more than 100 000 miles and I can tell this is exactly why I switched off forward moving hum and left reverse beep intact on my EV.
    There are no actual situations where a car moves fast AND pedestrians walking in front AND they don't deserve "bigger honk" than EV hum.
     
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  4. drtimhill

    drtimhill Active Member

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    Agreed. The basic problem with a car always making a noise is that you rapidly learn to tune it out. Like normal traffic noise. The end result is, pedestrians dont notice the noise and walk out anyway.

    Remember when the third (middle) rear brake light was mandated? Tests showed it reduced read-ending collisions by a significant margin. The problem was, that was true at first, when the light leaped out at you in surprise because no-one was used to seeing it. It really grabbed your attention. Fast forward 10 years and most cars have them, no-one notices any more and read-ending is back to normal levels.

    Watch any crowded city, and you will see trucks backing up going beep-beep like mad .. pedestrians just weave around it as if they didn't care.
     
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  5. Fiver

    Fiver Active Member

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    None of you know what it's like to be blind or visually impaired, which is the sole reason these noise makers exist.
     
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  6. arnis

    arnis Member

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    You don't have to be blind. Just ask them. This has been done. And it didn't work.
     
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  7. wdolson

    wdolson Well-Known Member

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    My last car has a 5.7L V-8 and I had more situations of pedestrians being oblivious in front of my car than I've had with my Model S. Though I've had many instances with my Model S of people being oblivious when I'm backing out. Even when the car is moving and it's in front of them.

    A couple of weeks ago I was in the supermarket parking lot and heard tire noise behind me and nothing else. I was already out of the way so I wasn't concerned, but I paid attention and it turned out to be a Model 3.

    The blind people I've known have also tended to have bat hearing and could pick up sounds everyone else tuned out. Though a bit more noise might help someone who was visually impaired to locate the source of the sound better than something that barely made any noise.

    Another reason for these noise makers are for downtown areas with many pedestrians and parking garages. With the 5.7L V-8 I had many instances of having to contend with pedestrians who were unaware a car was leaving a parking garage. The best solution to this has been done at many modern parking garages that have a flashing light and sound at the garage entrance. I find them very annoying to be around them (there's one in our small town on a street that gets virtually no foot or car traffic except the parking garage), but they do effectively alert people that a car is leaving the garage.

    The other big problem is people walking around oblivious in parking lots or crossing streets. Most often because they are doing something with their phone. Visually impaired people know they are vulnerable and are usually hyper alert to their surroundings.
     
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  8. daniel

    daniel Active Member

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    When I had the Zap Xebra (a totally quiet car) I kept a wooden train whistle in the car. In parking lots I would blow it when coming up behind pedestrians. More often than not they remained oblivious.

    But as noted elsewhere, many modern gas cars are so quiet at low speeds that the tires are the noisiest thing about them. The push to make EVs make noise is just spite from people who hate EVs, for reasons I cannot fathom.
     
  9. drtimhill

    drtimhill Active Member

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    A classic case of faulty logic: "Quiet cars are dangerous for pedestrians. EVs are quiet cars. Therefore EVs are dangerous for pedestrians." The mistake of course is to think the last sentence means "ONLY EVs are dangerous for pedestrians" and legislate for the conclusion and not the premiss.

    Last time I looked a horse was pretty quiet, but I dont notice anyone attaching noise generators to them. (And yes, you do get quite a few there I live.)
     
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  10. J1mbo

    J1mbo Active Member

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    ... and they can be very dangerous and unpredictable if you happen to be standing close enough ...
     
  11. daniel

    daniel Active Member

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    Or if you don't watch where you step. :)
     
  12. banned-66611

    banned-66611 Guest

    You can listen to a few different car sounds here: Kanon der Fahrklänge - Automobil Revue

    The Fiat one is pretty nice! The Honda e is good too. The Audi sounds broken and like a cheap 80s movie.
     
  13. HankLloydRight

    HankLloydRight No Roads

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    If that's real, that's a horrible sound. Maybe they intended it to be horrible so it gets your attention, but egads, that's bad.
     
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  14. daniel

    daniel Active Member

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    Those all sound horrible to me!
     
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  15. DavidB

    DavidB 2010 Roadster Sport || 2013 S85 || 2017 X100D

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    Frankly, I didn't like any of them. But, I agree that the Audi was the most obnoxious of them all.
     
  16. JimBob 909

    JimBob 909 Little Red Raven

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    The FIAT sound was really cool.
     
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  17. J1mbo

    J1mbo Active Member

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    No way is that Fiat sound real!? Imagine a few of them driving around a multistory car park, all out of sync... horrendous.
     
  18. CyberGhost

    CyberGhost New Member

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    I think they should leave EVs as they are. They do make plenty of tire noise just like other cars do. And they do have a distinctive sound to the engine as well which obv. isn't as loud as ICE engines. Regardless, most ICE cars are VERY quite in low speeds and you mostly hear the tire noise anyway.
     
  19. drtimhill

    drtimhill Active Member

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    Precisely .. a bill that says EVs should make noise is silly. Last time I looked, Lexus and (of course) Rolls Royce cars were all but silent at low speed. Anyone going to put a noise maker on their nice new $250,000 Rolls Royce??? :)
     
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  20. XLR82XS

    XLR82XS D M C

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    Certainly NOT on my Bentley......
     
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