Drivers May Choose Electric Car Alert Sounds, US Proposal Says (cnet.com) 144
The NHTSA is now proposing drivers be able to select an electric-car alert sound at speeds under 18.6 mph. "NHTSA wants the public's opinion 'on whether there should be a limit to the number of compliant sounds that a manufacturer can install in a vehicle and what that limit should be,'" adds CNET. From the report: As of this month, automakers are required to equip 50% of their "quiet cars," which applies to silent electric vehicles, with an alert noise at low speeds. The rules, first brought about in 2010, have been delayed for years, but come 2020, every quiet vehicle will need the alert mechanism. Regulators concluded cars make enough noise from tire and wind noise to forego the alert above 18.6 mph (that's 30 kph in case you're wondering why so precise a figure). Think of the sound as a gentle reminder when strolling through parking lots with cars backing out of spaces and crawling through the area. It's nice to hear a car approach, and something we take for granted with internal-combustion engines. NHTSA said the alert will help prevent 2,400 injuries annually.
How am I going to do a drive-by (Score:2)
when my Prius is making all kinds of noise?
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-Beau-
(Sr. Editor)
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I want my car to make the Jetsons' pod car sound [youtube.com].
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I did find some interesting reading, though:
.
I have the perfect sound (Score:2)
horse hooves on blacktop. if you're going that slowly, you're in a buggy.
can i have Nyan Cat? (Score:2)
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They just retired this car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Maybe you can buy it from them.
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Yeah, it'll be great when every car is making that BEEP BEEP BEEP sound everywhere
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The old model Nissan Leaf does that when reversing. I turned it off through the ODB2 code. The internet has details.
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Sorry, have no moderating points, you deserve one.
I already see it cascading with law defined minimum/maximum dB levels, ban on walking with earbuds and so on.
Can I have (Score:2)
La Cucaracha horns?
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I'll go for the serial "wet fart" sound.
Good, and to hell with copyright! (Score:3)
Top fuel dragster exhaust (Score:2)
Really though, I have long thought those ricers should put their big sound systems to good use covering up that fart-can noise with synthetic V-8 (or 12 or whatever you fancy) goodness. I can't see why this wouldn't also be good for electrics. It might even boost redneck uptake.
Fine (Score:5, Funny)
I'll choose John Cage's 4:33.
Jetsons sounds (Score:4, Insightful)
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This is the BEST reason for this regulation. It should be the default sound.
so many options (Score:2)
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How about "playing card in bicycle spokes"? Always a classic.
That whew-whew sound from Knight rider. (Score:4, Insightful)
The (new) sound of traffic jams... (Score:5, Insightful)
The last thing I want to hear is all of my neighbors cars beeping every time they come home.
I get that NHTSA's goal is to never let anyone die under their watch, but it shouldn't be at the cost of driving people crazy.
--
I really love peace and quiet. -- Barry Sanders
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all of my neighbors cars beeping every time they come home
There's less-intrusive noises, such as the white-noise "shhht! shhht!" that some garbage trucks make when reversing, instead of the obnoxious beep that carries for miles at 4am. Something like that would be OK.
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The Nissan Leaf makes a gentle hissing noise. It's not loud or particularly annoying, but it lets you know the car is there and moving.
Some other EVs make fake fossil car noises. Hyundai seem to be fond of that for some reason. Jaguar do it too, I guess because their target market enjoys such things even in fossil cars. Yeah, quite a few fossils pipe artificial engine noise over the sound system too.
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The LEAF's "gentle hissing sound" is very annoying, but it was not as bad as the LEAF's loud backup beep. I was so happy when LeafSpyPro gained the ability to let me disable both of those sounds in my car.
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The last thing I want to hear is all of my neighbors cars beeping every time they come home.
Expect this to align with EU regulations because why would the automakers bother with multiple options. I.e. it will be quieter than the engine noise they currently make and less intrusive.
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Nah, they'll have Ride of the Valkyries installed for your listening pleasure.
It's not "Quiet" cars that are the problem. (Score:2)
If it has to play something... (Score:2)
I want mine to play The Imperial March.
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The "shark is coming" music from "Jaws". That would make people look around.
Baby shark would be better at getting people to leave the area.
Porsche will charge you $500 for this. (Score:3)
If you want to supply your own mp3 with engine sounds, that's a $500 option:
https://electrek.co/2019/09/16... [electrek.co]
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If you want to supply your own mp3 with engine sounds, that's a $500 option:
https://electrek.co/2019/09/16... [electrek.co]
That's sad.
Jetsons Car Sound! (Score:2)
I want the weebly sound that the Jetson's car made.
No need (Score:2)
Horse with carriage on cobblestone road... (Score:4, Informative)
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...is what I would like to choose as my electric car sound.
For my "idling" electric car going down the road, I'll chose the sound of an idling gas car with a good muffler going down the road. What, if the silent gas car is loud enough why isn't the silent electric car?
Companies may see an opportunity here (Score:2)
With custom sounds. Similar to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n17B_uFF4cA
Every so often it'll be funny. A street full of this from various companies? Kill me now....
NERF cattle guards (Score:2)
You don't need a variety of annoying proprietary noises on your electric car, put some pool noodles on the bumper and run my dumb ass over when I don't get out of the way.
Leaf already does this (Score:2)
I vote for (Score:5, Funny)
the pac-man "wakka-wakka-wakka" sound.
One sound only. (Score:2)
How about this? (Score:2)
We just have a guy walk in front of you waving a red flag...
Select-A-Car-Sound feature? (Score:2)
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This is already a thing. Although I suspect, from the Youtube videos*, that the sound is played inside the cabin through the audio system. Not really audible outside the car.
*Oddly, most of the posted videos seem to have been marked as 'private' since they went up.
I have been looking forward to less noise. (Score:2)
One of the things I have long looked forward to is less noise from vehicles. I hear cars go past that have the entire, legally required, noise suppression system disabled or reversed to make the noise even louder. They do not sound powerful or flashy, they sound like agricultural machinery.
The vehicles with the most admirable sound effects are ones that make very little noise. I like the sound of Jaguars as they are designed well and, at that price, well looked after. I don't need some moron to fit 4 tu
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I wonder if they'll be smart enough to specify acceptable frequency ranges for the mandated sounds, or if everyone will be able to get away with using [legal level] dB unhearable ultrasound.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
http://www.unece.org/fileadmin... [unece.org]
Basically the noise should be similar to the noise made by internal combustion engines, and can't be from a list (which includes music and insect sound)
One of the stated reasons for the sounds is "so that blind people and other pedestrians and cyclists can hear them coming and detect from which direction they are approaching", so intentionally choosing a sound that is outside of the normal human hearing range could be akin to manslaughter, I
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So the cars only need to make a noise when going slowly, not when going fast. So a car going a 60 can be silent.
The whole point of the noise is to alert pedestrian that there's a car approaching. If you are in an area with pedestrians, you're going to be driving slowly. The noise is to allow people to hear that a car is approaching, because we are used to hearing cars approach. So used to it that if we don't hear anything we don't bother looking before crossing a road. So the noises are very much neces
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So a car going a 60 can be silent.
A car going so fast is not silent, wind and tires make a lot of noise.
So what about gas-powered cars? (Score:2)
Modern ones are practically engine-silent at these speeds, too.
18.6 mph (Score:3)
18.6 mph = 30 km/h (stated above, actually)
Interesting to see a US law come in to force that's actually based on km/h. I guess this is likely an International agreement that all countries have implemented to be the same, like 'red means stop' on traffics lights, and order of pedals in a car.
That explains the e-tron in end game. (Score:2)
So THAT is why the e-tron sounded like a wired V12 in end game. :P
progress (Score:2)
electric cars, read or watch any review and what is one of the first things being mentioned - it's so quiet!
and that is a great thing, for everybody.
why would you want these cars to make a noise and on top of that, have the sound it makes selectable?
does anybody remember the early cell-phone days? with all those custom ringtones, yeah, that was fun on the bus/train.
now imagine this in the city streets.
also i don't know why cars would have to make a noise, but for example bicycles don't have to?
won't all ele
What is wrong ... (Score:2)
What is wrong with Star Wars light sabre sound on loop?
Never Gonna Give you Up (Score:3)
Link to comment in the Federal Register (Score:2)
The articles didn't provide the link, but here is where you can provide your comment so that the government actually considers it: https://www.federalregister.go... [federalregister.gov]
US Can't Make Up Mind About Sound and Safety (Score:2)
VW GTI has the "Soundaktor" (Score:2)
Re: VW GTI has the "Soundaktor" (Score:2)
The Mustang GT fastback I drove in 2015, seemed to have a tube going from the air intake through the firewall. I could not trace it to anything engine related. I assumed they used it to âoeenhanceâ the engine sound inside, perhaps using a membrane/speaker. IDK
I just want... (Score:2)
Jetson's car or nothing (Score:2)
If my electric car can't sound like a Jetsons car [youtube.com] then what is the 21st century even for?
Makes sense, but why custom? (Score:2)
Think of the sound as a gentle reminder when strolling through parking lots with cars backing out of spaces and crawling through the area.
So.... larger vehicles are already required to make White Noise when backing; ISO 6165 travel alarms --- And studies have shown that
it is easier for people to determine which direction the vehicle is coming from when using White Noise rather than beepers or other sounds. So why not just require they sense ambient sound to play White Noise at the correct volume and
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Re: Stop trying to protect people (Score:2)
That is not a neo-Darwinist point of view, it is just a Darwinist point of view.
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I suppose you're one of those neo-Darwinians who just think that visually impaired people should die off?
Hey - I was in an argument with some people here a few years ago that were pissed off about backup cams. And yet, they are saving little kid's lives.A kid behind a car getting run over is not Darwinism, its just sensible to eliminate a bad blind spot. Plus they make backing up a lot easier. My Jeep's backup cam has lines that show me where I'm going to end up if I keep the steering wheel pointed in a particular direction.
But this is slashdot, and I'm surprised some of these people have email
But to the
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If they insist on a car noise, I vote for the sound of a top fuel dragster idling, then slingshooting the quarter mile. That will get people out of the way quickly..
I'll go for constant screeching tyres.
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Manufacturers will want a sound that can't be heard in the cabin, which meets regulatory requirements and which sounds "premium". Basically the same reason most don't offer a novelty horn option.
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It's also a bit about maintaining brand appearance. The Audi e-tron sounds kind of cool. As someone put it, "like a spaceship". There went allot of effort in designing that sound.
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Have the car shout (al a Sam Kinisoin) "Get out of the Road!!!! CAR COMING!"
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Our Mitsubishi makes a sort of UFO sound at low speeds (when not in park, up to about 10-15mph I think). It's good because it's sort of "futureistic", it's definitely synthetic so you don't think its just an animal or the wind or something, and it's not the sort of sound that would annoy the neighbours. You also can't hear it inside (actually, you can't hear it outside all that well either - but that's another matter).
I do quite like the idea of making fart noises when I put it in reverse though. Would be f
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I suppose you're one of those neo-Darwinians who just think that visually impaired people should die off?
neo-Darwinians? Here's what I want to see. I want to see scientists invent time machines so that we can have a reality TV show whereby Liberal SJW's go back in time to the Jurassic period to rationalize postmodernism with natural predators like saber tooth tigers. FWIW - I'm not against ADA but your position is absolutely ridiculous when you consider how nature actually works. You need a better argument not just the typical liberal SJW drivel.
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Look we can't all be mutant freaks with eyes growing out of the back of our skulls like you. Some of us are normal.
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Re:Stop trying to protect people (Score:5, Insightful)
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The more electric cars that are produced, the more people will realize the necessity of it.
I encounter a few electric cars and if they dont have brakes engaged, they may have no rear lights during the day, no emissions to show you the car is running and no noise. They also seem to put signal lights in "creative" places... Combine that with how many people are such awesome drivers and we need this.
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It is like anything new, people want the status quo and hate change. If people thought about noise pollution then they will realise that cars need to make less noise.
Don't forget that modern cars are having more and more sensors added to them with collision avoidance systems becoming more and more complex. The car itself can detect pedestrians and make a decision to brake or steer around the pedestrian. This will certainly happen with autonomous vehicles as there will be no driver.
In my opinion, the require
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It will never steer around. To dangerous and a to complex decision.
And when I step out of my house - hearing nothing - I might step between two parking cars on the lane and get hit from 1 yard away, it can not break so fast.
Even a bicycle makes noise, why not an EV? I really wonder about the stupidity of /. ers who think that "no noise" is normal/good. Everything in real live makes a noise. Unless you are deaf you rely on this noise feed back all day long. Even if you don't notice.
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Even a bicycle makes noise
Fixies don't. Freewheelers don't when you're pedaling.
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Get the damn bikes off the roads, major menace they are.
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You consider that moving things should make noise because that is how your brain has been trained. If you grew up in a time of silent EVs your brain will be trained to use other strategies not based on sound. For example, people that are deaf use strategies that keep themselves safe without using vehicle noise.
I think that you are not recognising the capabilities of some cars to inform the driver of the presence of pedestrians and for the car to take autonomous action to prevent a collision. Each year that
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Car sounds also allow a pedestrian to jump out of the way when you suddenly back out of a parking spot without looking.
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Because of all those low budget electric cars without sensors or backup cams this is a real problem, right?
How about instead of making the world noisier we just mandate that the tech inside the car handle not hitting pedestrians?
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I'm completely with you on this. EVs give us the opportunity to reduce noise pollution so what do we do? Add ARTIFICIAL noise! It's literally insane.
When i was a kid there was a commercial on tv where a child ignored a steamroller. The steamroller goes by and a suit picks up a cardboard cutout of the kid's picture, and says something pithy. And in that moment, the student was enlightened. Ever since then i have looked both ways before making any crossing, even if that meant i was looking in a direction from
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I concur. Show that this is actually a problem before you come up with an asinine solution. If the rates of idiots getting hit by ICE and BEV cars are the same, this is a solution in search of a problem. If BEVs are trending to be more likely to hit people, then we can start talking about how to solve that issue.
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Stop for a few seconds and look around instead people. Take the earbuds out and stop staring at your phones before you step into the street. Pay attention to your surroundings rather than just going.
For blind folks, sorry, but we can't just make everything for you.
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Because god forbid we have some quiet out there....
Need laws forcing motorcycles to be made quieter.....
Re:Stop trying to protect people (Score:5, Insightful)
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Wouldn't have been cheaper to outfit the blind people with proximity detectors with some context-aware ai, compared to all the unnecessary economic activity and overhead it's going to take to revamp the entire driving world?
Hey, that's a good idea! OK, so we need sensors that detect moving vehicles and distinguish them from stationary vehicles. That's not so bad.
But are they visual sensors only? That won't work so well at night, or around bushes, mailboxes and other obstructions. So LIDAR maybe? Sure, that's a bit more expensive but still doable.
Oh, and of course the sensors have to be connected to a system with enough intelligence to project the path of the moving vehicle so it only alerts on potential collisions. Otherwise y
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That speaker is not $5 by the time you account for all the overhead, the time spent debating the structure and language of the laws to require it. the money spent on meetings and policies within the industries to implement that, the creation of standards, revisions ,opposition, code additions, unintended bugs created by those code editions, lawsuits generated frivolous or not, the time it takes to address those lawsuits,..
All the other costs that will also apply to the hypothetical device for the blind.
Now if the device involved used different frequencies in patterns of sound to denote what was where and how far away over time the human brain will perceive that spatially all by itself, simply through repeated experience using the device.
If that's so easy and so useful, why doesn't it already exist?
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Wouldn't it be funny if a tiny EV sounded like a 69 Chevelle. It would make the Fiat 500e so much cooler.
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Sucked in.
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Get used to it; it's not like you Americans care enough to actually do something about it.
Big action on flavoured vape stuff though. Can't have anything too dangerous just floating about now.