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posted by martyb on Wednesday November 16 2016, @03:51PM   Printer-friendly
from the fake-engine-noises-FTW-Vrrrm-Vrrrm! dept.

A US road safety body has demanded that electric cars travelling at low speed make a noise to warn pedestrians.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the rule was needed because battery-powered vehicles are very quiet.

It said the rule would particularly help blind pedestrians, or those with a visual impairment, detect electric cars and hybrids on the road.

The new safety rule could help prevent 2,400 injuries a year, said the NHTSA.

The rule demands that the cars make a noise when travelling either forwards or backwards at speeds of less than 30kmh (19mph). The regulation covers vehicles with four wheels that weigh less than 10,000 pounds (4.5 tonnes).

The safety specification requires car makers to use a two-tone signal similar to that currently emitted by heavy vehicles when they are reversing.

It would be more fun if drivers could customize what that sound is, such as "La Cucaracha" or the whine of a Shadow vessel.

Electric and hybrid cars are to include a noise generation device for travel at low speeds with no internal combustion engine: http://www.nhtsa.gov/About-NHTSA/Press-Releases/nhtsa_quiet_car_final_rule_11142016.

There goes my quiet electric future.


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  • (Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Wednesday November 16 2016, @07:04PM

    by Osamabobama (5842) on Wednesday November 16 2016, @07:04PM (#427691)

    Can the cars wirelessly coordinate the timing of their noise? I suppose it could be used to make music like a symphony, but it would be more interesting if they could all stay in phase, so multiple cars got louder linearly, rather than the usual logarithmic increase.

    Imagine how annoying that could be, especially as a listener moved through the inevitable peaks and nulls in the combined signal...

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  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday November 16 2016, @09:54PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Wednesday November 16 2016, @09:54PM (#427791) Journal

    That would be fun. Hack them so that they produce a building atmospheric sound to induce terror, like in horror movies before Jason strikes.

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    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 17 2016, @02:42PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 17 2016, @02:42PM (#428116)

      I forget what it's called, but that mix of varying tones that start low and get higher in pitch as they fade away. The net effect is that it constantly sounds like it is getting higher and higher in pitch, without really changing much. Great for inducing anxiety...