Should Electric Cars Be Quieter?

[Soviet]

http://www.woai.com/content/news/ne...ic-cars-be-louder/oCYhMBREfEK0568gBn0vkg.cspx

I absolutely didn't expect to see an article on electric cars in my local news, but here it is. Should electric cars be quieter? Or should cyclists & pedestrians pay more attention?

 

[MaxPower]

I like what Nissan has done with the Leaf. Emit a high-pitched sound at low speeds, which increases in pitch as the speed is increased, and turn off the noisemaker when moving fast enough for the tire and wind noise to be audible. High frequency sound allows the human ear to determine direction better than at a low frequency.

I still would love to have the option of making the noisemaker behave like the air car in The Jetsons. But that's just me.

Edit: I do notice that wildlife near the city is not as spooked by the Leaf. Recently I went for a sunset drive along Skyline Boulevard (CA-35) and saw a coyote cross the road in front of me. I slowed down to a much lower speed for a better look at the coyote, and it lingered looking back at me. I think the quiet car had something to do with lowering the animal's fear level and allowing curiousity to dominate. Same goes for deer, they don't freak out when I go by in the Leaf. They know I am there but are not as fearful.

 

[garsh]

I don't mind having a noise as an option. But there's enough noise pollution already. I like having a quiet car.

 

[ksnogas2112]

Edit: I do notice that wildlife near the city is not as spooked by the Leaf. Recently I went for a sunset drive along Skyline Boulevard (CA-35) and saw a coyote cross the road in front of me. I slowed down to a much lower speed for a better look at the coyote, and it lingered looking back at me. I think the quiet car had something to do with lowering the animal's fear level and allowing curiousity to dominate. Same goes for deer, they don't freak out when I go by in the Leaf. They know I am there but are not as fearful.

I've had same result from multiple deer out here.

I think the car should be quiet. There's no reason to artificially create noise when there isn't any.

 

[DaveK]

They have an article in the LA Times also:

http://www.latimes.com/business/aut...id-electric-vehicles-20130108,0,7124402.story

I thought this was already a requirement and that's why Nissan removed the disable switch in the 2012 models.

 

[garygid]

Many pedestrians here just do not pay attention, not looking
or listening. They believe that the vehicles must avoid them.

 

[walterbays]

http://demotivationalpost.com/5208/the-zombie-apocalypse-is-already-here
A pedestrian staring at a smartphone with music blaring through his earbuds is not going to see nor hear any car coming, regardless of its noise generator.

 

[kentuckyleaf]

I think even with the generated noise, the Leaf is too quiet. Yesterday I was driving the Leaf to work (normally my spouse commutes with it, but she's out of town) and I nearly ran over three co-workers. Not the best way to start a Friday morning! The comment I got from all three, "dang your car is quiet!" I think the noise isn't directional enough in a concrete parking garage. I do like the idea of a volume control, to let us increase the sound above some required minimum. I also like the Jetson's put put sound idea. Too cute!

 

[Pipemajor]

When I drove a demo 2011 Leaf a year ago November, I was aghast how LOUD the turn signal indicator was. Don't know if Nissan uses an annoyingly loud clicker or it just seems extra loud because all the other noises are missing.

 

[garsh]

I do like the idea of a volume control, to let us increase the sound above some required minimum.

That's easily accomplished - just crank up the stereo.

 

[Caracalover]

I want other cars to also be as quiet as the Leaf. The argument for a noise maker is that blind people can't hear them. If all cars were quieter, the blind would then be able to hear all vehicles better. Making cars louder is just plain stupid. If there is a truck idiling at the same corner that I am driving around, whether in my Leaf or Silverado, the blind individual has to tune out the one noise to hear the other. Eliminate the noise and everyone will hear better, and the blind can then hear a bicycle as well. Regulate the source of the problem, not the solution.

 

[TomT]

Yeah, my wife refers to it as "the time bomb!" It is louder than anything I have ever had on any other car and it has nothing to do with the quietness of the vehicle. I think it is even more grating because it has the exact same tone on both the upbeat and downbeat, unlike every other car I have owned...

When I drove a demo 2011 Leaf a year ago November, I was aghast how LOUD the turn signal indicator was. Don't know if Nissan uses an annoyingly loud clicker or it just seems extra loud because all the other noises are missing.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

on or off, i notice the noise is not enough for people to hear in a busy parking lot especially if there is rain, wind or simply a lot of cars around.

this holds true for regular cars as well and why is that? simply too much noise already out there. so the objective is to drown out the background?

that "really" sounds like a plan :shock:

 

[planet4ever]

I will say there is no question that the backup sound is loud enough. I put my car in reverse a couple days ago to back out of a shopping center parking space, looked to see if anyone was behind me, and saw a guy take off like he was doing a 50 yard dash.

Our Prius is the really weird one, though. It has a backup sound that seems to come from inside the car. From the driver's seat it seems a lot louder than the LEAF's, but I suspect the LEAF would sound louder than the Prius if you were behind the car.

Ray

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I will say there is no question that the backup sound is loud enough. I put my car in reverse a couple days ago to back out of a shopping center parking space, looked to see if anyone was behind me, and saw a guy take off like he was doing a 50 yard dash.

Our Prius is the really weird one, though. It has a backup sound that seems to come from inside the car. From the driver's seat it seems a lot louder than the LEAF's, but I suspect the LEAF would sound louder than the Prius if you were behind the car.

Ray

Ray you have hit upon one of the truly great mysteries of our time. Why would Toyota put the backup beeper inside the car because it is much louder inside than it is outside

 

[kovalb]

Here is a link to where NHTSA explains their plan for minimum noise requirements for EVs and provides samples of the noises they are studying. Every automaker is required to have the same noise and continue to make noise even when the car is stopped. Personally I find it difficult to judge their recordings, they all sound like static to me.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/SampleSounds

I call it noise instead of sound because I consider the requirement to be excessive and invasive. The sound levels they are proposing are much louder than LEAF currently has.

 

[Caracalover]

I have no issues with back up alarms. Many are designed to alter the intenstiy (Volume) to the ambient noise level. That makes sense and can prevent accidents. A running noise maker is absurd without that same technology.

I understand that blind people need to be able to hear vehicles to cross streets safely, but I have seen blind people wait a long time just so a truck or loud vehicle (I drive a street sweeper, so this is first hand) gets out of range so they can then cross. Make the other cars have a max level at the same time if you are trying to "fix" that which is not broken.

Why would you have to make a car sound like another inferior sounding vehicle? Give me a Jetsons sound.