Vroom chicka chicka
Electric vehicles (EVs) are so quiet that safety experts think pedestrians are likely to be killed or injured by EVs that they don't hear or can't see. The solution? Have EVs produce an artificial sound to alert pedestrians to their presence. But what sound?
Here are some proposed sounds for the Ford Focus.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1769225/what-sound-should-electric-cars-make
So this begs several questions:
- Is this really needed?
- What is the ideal sound a car should make to alert pedestrians?
- Can I make up my own sound and load it into my car? Will car sounds be the new ringtones? Will this be a shot in the arm for the recording industry?
But seriously, noise pollution from automobiles is awful. I live in a suburb more than a mile from the nearest freeway and if I step outside I hear a constant roar from cars that becomes ridiculous during rush hours.
The industry may be tempted to reproduce the familiar sounds of automobiles. The most satisfying motor sounds have strong low frequency components that are felt as much as heard. But the lows propagate farther than they need to and are intrusive. You don't need to hear a car inside your house. I can't imagine they're planning to mount woofers under the front grill so it makes sense to me to use a sound that is directed in the path of travel and that human hearing is highly sensitive to...maybe something in the range of the female voice. But would the market accept it?
Tires rolling on pavement generate their own noise. Maybe that would be sufficient when the masking noise of all the internal combustion engines is gone?
Anyway, I want my car to sound like a 70s wah wah pedal... like the intro from "Shaft."
What do you want your car to sound like?
Electric vehicles (EVs) are so quiet that safety experts think pedestrians are likely to be killed or injured by EVs that they don't hear or can't see. The solution? Have EVs produce an artificial sound to alert pedestrians to their presence. But what sound?
Here are some proposed sounds for the Ford Focus.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1769225/what-sound-should-electric-cars-make
So this begs several questions:
- Is this really needed?
- What is the ideal sound a car should make to alert pedestrians?
- Can I make up my own sound and load it into my car? Will car sounds be the new ringtones? Will this be a shot in the arm for the recording industry?
But seriously, noise pollution from automobiles is awful. I live in a suburb more than a mile from the nearest freeway and if I step outside I hear a constant roar from cars that becomes ridiculous during rush hours.
The industry may be tempted to reproduce the familiar sounds of automobiles. The most satisfying motor sounds have strong low frequency components that are felt as much as heard. But the lows propagate farther than they need to and are intrusive. You don't need to hear a car inside your house. I can't imagine they're planning to mount woofers under the front grill so it makes sense to me to use a sound that is directed in the path of travel and that human hearing is highly sensitive to...maybe something in the range of the female voice. But would the market accept it?
Tires rolling on pavement generate their own noise. Maybe that would be sufficient when the masking noise of all the internal combustion engines is gone?
Anyway, I want my car to sound like a 70s wah wah pedal... like the intro from "Shaft."
What do you want your car to sound like?