Nissan Presents Leaf Sound for Pedestrians...

[palmermd]

This product is fantastic. I've got to have one of these for my Prius. It probably wont work because of the CVT, but in the demo car with standard engine and transmission it sounds great.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9XAC-BvUyo[/youtube]

 

[palmermd]

National Federation for the Blind has taken their newfound power too far now. Not only do they want all the cars to create more noise, but they also want to be the ones behind the wheel of these noisy cars.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/02/blind-drivers-could-take_n_633455.html

 

[Nubo]

It's not just about the Blind, but children, and everyday able people who might become distracted in places like parking lots, driveways, parking garages. I'm all for personal responsibility, but who hasn't become distracted at some point in life? Maybe it's a fussy baby in a stroller, you dropped something, or you're a teen-aged boy and a pretty girl is walking down the other side of the street... The penalty for any of these momentary lapses shouldn't be severe, when the solution is so simple and unobtrusive, quieter than a normal car and nearly inaudible to the driver. I'm all for it.

 

[AndyH]

Right then. 'Ave a look at this - you'll recognize the appropriate point. :lol:

http://blip.tv/play/gdw6gaTgcAI.m4v

About 5:45 in... "...She's not aware that I'm here..."

 

[scottwilcox]

Love the video! I forgot how much I like the iMEV.

As much as I hated the idea of the sound at first I will be alright with it. I had originally selected the red color for the LEAF thinking the kids in the neighborhood would be much more likely to see it. After they announced the sound I have switched to the silver which is my color of choice. Although the blue is growing on me. It is hard to tell on the monitors what the blue will be like. I have seen some of the photos and video where the blue looks "silvery" and others where it looks like a deeper blue. I like the deeper blue but until I can see it in person I am not sure what the color really looks like.

 

[Posterboy]

Actually, the "appropriate point" in my view was a little over 1 minute in, when he popped the i-miev into reverse and the "backup beeper" came on inside the vehicle. The sound made me want to pull my hair out.

Honestly... when was the last time you saw a blind person jaywalking? Assuming that an unaccompanied blind person is out on the street, you can bet that they are following a pre-planned route, and only crossing the street at corners, stoplights and/or crosswalks, carrying a cane or possibly using a guide dog. Blind people don't just step out onto the street in the middle of the block... they're blind, not stupid.

 

[scottwilcox]

To be honest I don't worry about the blind people. It is the kids in the subdivision. The blind in my area do cross at the right spots and cross when they are supposed to.

I agree the backup sound is pretty bad. I would be looking for the truck.

 

[garygid]

Walking down the street instead of on the sidewalk which is about 2 feet away, and no other-side sidewalk to cross to? It seems (from this picture) that it is not that this person cannot hear the car, but that the person has not heard of cars in any meaningful way.

Does this mean that all sidewalks must now have safety rails installed, that constantly chant (fairly quietly, but so they can be heard over any traffic noises), "Danger, edge of Sidewalk".

Or, is this person trying become another candidate for the Darwin Awards?

 

[palmermd]

did nobody even notice that my comment was not about cars making noise, but blind people wanting to drive cars.

 

[LEAFer]

did nobody even notice that my comment was not about cars making noise, but blind people wanting to drive cars.

You're right (of course) ... we seemed to have skipped over that. So here's my reaction: If they can spend so much *&^%#& money on that type of research, how about allocating some to making it safe for blind/vision-impaired pedestrians navigating among quiet luxury ICE cars and EVs ??!! :x

And since NFB seems to have so much money, they could be a little less discriminatory (for such a relatively small group) and extend their research to assist the deaf/hard-of-hearing, since more noise eminaing from (quiet luxury ICE cars and) EVs won't help the latter group ! A group I might add is significantly larger ( I wish I could point to scientific data ), and even though not vision-impaired, when approached from behind or "blind-sided", are affected more so than the group served by NFB !

 

[raouf]

There are two different issues in this thread:

- The aesthetics of the sounds that Nissan has chosen for the LEAF:
This can be debated ad nauseum, but it would be quite easy for Nissan to offer a library of these sounds that the car owners could install on their cars.

- The need for some sound to warn off pedestrians:
While the sentiment here seems to be, "How could you spoil such a pristine thing by adding noise on purpose?" which I agree with. I also would not want to run over anyone because of their inattention (or mine).
As someone who lives in an area with a proliferation of Toyota Priuses, we hear more and more about such accidents.
At this time it is just anecdotal but becoming statistically significant, the insurance companies have taken notice of that fact and are thinking of charging more for insuring an EV (or even hybrids) because of this "added risk".

 

[driveleaf]

I was an ardent opponent of the noise generator, until last weekends alt car expo test drive.

People were completely oblivious to standing in the cars path, especially when creeping through a parking lot.

Honking also proved problematic, as people who had gathered mid parking lot roadway heard the honk, but no idling engine a few feet away, so happily assumed the honk must not be meant for them, despite my bumper at their ankles.

This will not be solved by the vsp though, as it emits no noise when the vehicle is stopped.

 

[cdub]

I was an ardent opponent of the noise generator, until last weekends alt car expo test drive.

People were completely oblivious to standing in the cars path, especially when creeping through a parking lot.

Honking also proved problematic, as people who had gathered mid parking lot roadway heard the honk, but no idling engine a few feet away, so happily assumed the honk must not be meant for them, despite my bumper at their ankles.

This will not be solved by the vsp though, as it emits no noise when the vehicle is stopped.

I had the exact same problem.... I was slowly crawling through just praying no idiot walked infront of me. And Nissan has the noises DISABLED on these cars.

 

[LEAFfan]

There are two different issues in this thread:

- The aesthetics of the sounds that Nissan has chosen for the LEAF:
This can be debated ad nauseum, but it would be quite easy for Nissan to offer a library of these sounds that the car owners could install on their cars.

- The need for some sound to warn off pedestrians:
While the sentiment here seems to be, "How could you spoil such a pristine thing by adding noise on purpose?" which I agree with. I also would not want to run over anyone because of their inattention (or mine).
As someone who lives in an area with a proliferation of Toyota Priuses, we hear more and more about such accidents.
At this time it is just anecdotal but becoming statistically significant, the insurance companies have taken notice of that fact and are thinking of charging more for insuring an EV (or even hybrids) because of this "added risk".

I was just happy to see the switch so when it is needed, the driver can turn it on, and when it isn't needed such as in slow traffic, we can turn it off.

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

I'm puzzled as to WHY Nissan would disable the sound on these demo cars?

Why not have the actual experience of driving?

What factors make the sound appropriate for driving, but not for the test drive?

 

[garygid]

Perhaps the noise really IS annoying when you get a number of EVs together?

What does a Rustle of LEAFs sound like?

 

[Yanquetino]

Perhaps the noise really IS annoying when you get a number of EVs together?

What does a Rustle of LEAFs sound like?

That is what I suspect was the case at AltCar: Nissan didn't want potential customers hearing what a half-dozen VSPs sounded like in chorus. One might conclude that VSP "isn't so bad" when listening to one LEAF, but the real problem only manifests itself when there are a number of EVs in a given location. Just imagine the result with a dozen EVs navigating their way around various levels of a parking terrace. :x

 

[garygid]

Yes, EXACTLY ... Offensive Noise Pollution!

 

[EVDRIVER]

Just like putting your hand on the stove as a child, people need to be educated to pay attention when in areas with vehicles. Adding noise pollution to a noisy world is not the solution. How do people adapt to anything new? Education. You don't point a laser in your eye and it has not been that long since they have been available to the public. Solving problems with greater problems is only the answer of a backward society, not an advanced one. And there are plenty of stupid, unaware people that I can creep up on in a Toyota truck let alone and EV. In some places cars have the right of way, that would solve the problem of evolution real quick. There are solutions for those that have disabilities but the rest of the population needs to pay more attention in general and those of use that are responsible and aware should not pay a price.

 

[Yodrak]

Reasonable thoughts.

With regard to your 2nd point and the contention of other posters that people need to be responsible for their own behavior, a simple fact of life is that in today's letigious American society one needs to do everything they can to protect themself from assertions that they have some share of the responsibility when an unfortunate event happens. That means taking proactive measures to make one's presence known to others who may not be aware of them, even if the others should be aware.

I am reminded of an incident in a strip mall parking a few years back. I was stopped at the end of a parking lane waiting for cars to pass so that I could turn out into the travel lane. A woman in a parking slot backed up into me, totally oblivious to the fact that I was stopped behind her. The insurance companies assigned me 30% of the blame, I was reimbursed only 70% of the cost of getting the side of my car repaired. Guess I should have been sounding my horn when I saw her start to back up, but I didn't know she was backing up until my car was rocked by the impact.

The point being, even if you believe that the other person is at fault, and even if you're right that the other person is at fault, if you weren't doing everything that you could have done to avoid the situation then you are open to sharing the blame for what happens. That's the way it is, so deal with it and accept a little noise so that you'll have one more point on your side if the time comes that you need it.

There are two different issues in this thread:

- The aesthetics of the sounds that Nissan has chosen for the LEAF:
This can be debated ad nauseum, but it would be quite easy for Nissan to offer a library of these sounds that the car owners could install on their cars.

- The need for some sound to warn off pedestrians:
While the sentiment here seems to be, "How could you spoil such a pristine thing by adding noise on purpose?" which I agree with. I also would not want to run over anyone because of their inattention (or mine).
As someone who lives in an area with a proliferation of Toyota Priuses, we hear more and more about such accidents.
At this time it is just anecdotal but becoming statistically significant, the insurance companies have taken notice of that fact and are thinking of charging more for insuring an EV (or even hybrids) because of this "added risk".