Electric cars in the EU: artificial sounds considered

Tim

Creative Writer
One of the main safety concerns to other people where electric cars are to drive has been the noise that a car makes. It's always been an immediate concern of mine. The populace may come to get used to them, but old habits die hard. Some petroleum cars already are too quiet and as a pedestrian and cyclist I've had incidents with them, but training to look around means that I don't cause those incidents (being side swiped by a passing quiet car that seemed to come out of nowhere is quite shocking!)

But it looks like the EU, or at least the news sites, are finally bringing the matter up for the public.

The Times & The Sunday Times

It's just a wait now to see what a load of bureaucrats are going to decide is the noise to pick!
 
I presume every nation has laws here with car stereos and noise pollution. I think in the UK the limit for a car stereo is 20watts RMS. Not that anyone takes any notice (remembers my last car, with the two amplifiers bolted under my seat, 100w RMS sub woofer in the boot and the comments "we could hear you coming from twos streets away!")

Actually, I can't remember if this was an idea that was touted as an answer to this or I came up with it myself, but where old cars had their air vent intake system via a pipe from the headlight area, a mechanical clacker device could be placed. If enough air comes in to supply an old style vent system, then enough could drive a spinning clacker. The noise should only project forwards. Of course, at low speed it may not make enough noise and at high speeds it might sound like a swarm of insects coming to scour whole towns of crops, small animals and children!

The petrol heads won't be amused though at the new lacking sounds their cars make. And it will change the way kids play too. No more growling "brumm, brumm!" No hearing that satisfactory exhaust pipe noise. Might take half the fun out of driving! It could drive a whole new range of custom sounds for electric cars.

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A whole new generation of kids in their little cars will be driving all the oldies out in the street thinking there's the glory days out there :smiley:


 
.. Ferrari Sound Pack ...
For the States, we would need the "Harley Davidson Sound Pack" for cars. ;)






(Of course that would never happen since the Harley Davidson sound is actually trademarked! I'm not joking, they have a trademark on the signature sound that their classic bikes make.)
 
Hmm, might need a tech setup here. Register the usual URL's and setup a business for the future that will sell engine sound packs much like mobile phone ringtones! Make a few thousand/million off the first wave before the competition catches up :smiley:
 
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