RE: Silent SLS gives us the creeps

[filski666]

ok, I have two opinions on this. I personally hate the idea of an AMG without that glorious V8 noise - the main reason I would buy an AMG over a similar car would be that noise. But on the other hand - if cars like this mean companies like MB/AMG can still make V8 versions by offsetting their product line C02 output, boosting income and appealing to the greenies, then it is all good. If they sell and make money for the company, it is good news, as long as they don;t stop making the "proper" AMGs

(not that I can afford one anyway....... )

[thinfourth2]

So of course any true petrolhead would far rather have my daily driver then this SLS

My daily driver is faster as its petrol
My daily driver is more fun as its petrol
My daily driver sounds better as its petrol
My daily driver is sexier as its petrol

My daily driver is a clapped out Nissan Micra


Its st

kambites said:

Twincam16 said:

I don't understand why silence is seen as a virtue in electric cars. It makes a mockery of the Green Cross Code for starters - Stop and Look, yes, but if you can't hear it coming, surely it's dangerous?

I'm all for electric cars sounding like electric cars. Why can't they put out a Scalextric-style whizz and whine? If I was driving a car like that, I'd want it to sound like an electric jet engine.

I'm sure they can make it make whatever noise is required - that's what speakers are for.

This is my biggest fear with the electric car

They will come with customisable engine noises

I really don't want the idiots to be zooming around with fake annoy noises at max volume

[bass2rez]

kambites said:

bass2rez said:

Is there not a fundamental flaw in the electric car arguement anyway? An electric car still requires power and that power needs to be generated somehow. All this is doing is moving the source of the power from petrol within a petrol tank stored locally on the vehicle to power generated in a power station.

In the sort term, that's pretty much the whole point - to move nasty air pollution away from major centres of population. In the long term, we're meant to be switching to generating electricity in other ways.

In that case, I agree we need electric cars, but I fail to see why we need electric versions of low-volume high performance cars. The cars that need to be electrically powered are the cars currently being sold with 1.9 TDI engines and the like, the city runabouts.

There are so few high performance cars sold that making them electric will make virtually no difference to overall pollution and ecological problems. All it achieves is ruining performance cars for those that choose to drive them for recreational purposes.

[kambites]

thinfourth2 said:

I really don't want the idiots to be zooming around with fake annoy noises at max volume

I don't really see that it would be much different from the idiots currently zooming around in with 4 inch exhausts.

[kambites]

bass2rez said:

In that case, I agree we need electric cars, but I fail to see why we need electric versions of low-volume high performance cars. The cars that need to be electrically powered are the cars currently being sold with 1.9 TDI engines and the like, the city runabouts.

There are so few high performance cars sold that making them electric will make virtually no difference to overall pollution and ecological problems. All it achieves is ruining performance cars for those that choose to drive them for recreational purposes.

Why does the existence of an electric super-car ruin anything for anyone? No-one is going to force you to buy it.

Besides, I suspect the majority of UK SLSs cover the majority of their mileage inside the M25.

[Lucky Eddie]

What about the tyres, what a racket from them! As others have already pointed out, building and fuelling electric cars (especially if the leccy is generated by coal) does more damage to the environment than any petrolhead with a Nissan Micra.

[thinfourth2]

bass2rez said:

In that case, I agree we need electric cars, but I fail to see why we need electric versions of low-volume high performance cars.

Go look at what the first cars were

As to why

Marketing marketing and marketing

Will it sell

Yep as many buyers of super cars don't care about performance

Don't belive me

Go camp next to the best driving roads in the UK and count the supercars then spend a day next to a road in central london and do the same

[thinfourth2]

kambites said:

thinfourth2 said:

I really don't want the idiots to be zooming around with fake annoy noises at max volume

I don't really see that it would be much different from the idiots currently zooming around in with 4 inch exhausts.

Yes and they one of the few times where i see the death penalty as being justified

[Galileo]

I refuse to watch the video on principle.

[Oz83]

Unfortunately electric cars aren't the future, they are just marketing tools. We are past the point of no return when it comes to switching to an alternative fuel source (nevermind one that relies on fossil fuels to generate the energy required in the first place). As we depend on fossil fuels for 90% of our energy, there aren't enough fossil fuels left to produce the amounts of energy required to make such an epic change. Basically we are screwed.

In conclusion, let's enjoy the sound of the 6.3 V8 whilst we still can because one day the only way to hear it will actually be through a set of speakers (wind up ones most probably).

[kambites]

Oz83 said:

... As we depend on fossil fuels for 90% of our energy,...

No we don't, if by "energy" you mean "electricity".

[Cotic]

I just don't like taking a highly refined energy source like electricity and using for a very basic purpose like motion

I also prefer a barbecue over a microwave for the same reason

But you can't ignore the fact that it makes the chicken taste better

(The barbecue, not an electric SLS)

[George H]

That chrome style paint is revolting. I hope manufacturers don't start offering that like they have done with matte paint

[Paul_M3]

kambites said:

Oz83 said:

... As we depend on fossil fuels for 90% of our energy,...

No we don't, if by "energy" you mean "electricity".

Indeed, it's nearer to 80% in the UK.

[AnotherClarkey]

I wonder why people are so obsessed with things that are peripheral to the actual driving of a car such as the noise it makes? I enjoy threading a car down a winding road 'making progress' but to be honest I would prefer it to be managed in as near silence as possible and without horrible compromises associated with limp internal combustion engines like having to change gear.

It might, just might, be possible that this electric SLS is absolutely fantastic to grab by the scruff of the neck and drive. Who knows, it might even be better than the petrol powered one.

[otolith]

kambites said:

In the sort term, that's pretty much the whole point - to move nasty air pollution away from major centres of population. In the long term, we're meant to be switching to generating electricity in other ways.

I've always felt that there was some fairness in the idea of "polluter inhales". Exporting the pollution to an extraurban area seems a bit iniquitous.

[RemarkLima]

Watchman said:

I'd have an electric car if they were more practical (range, fill-up time, performance, price). I can see one of those and a V8 in my "stable" to suit different occasions.

Sounds like it's 1912 again surely?

I'm positive all these arguments were against the internal combustion engine in it's early days.

'tis just the beginning!

[kambites]

Paul_M3 said:

kambites said:

Oz83 said:

... As we depend on fossil fuels for 90% of our energy,...

No we don't, if by "energy" you mean "electricity".

Indeed, it's nearer to 80% in the UK.

More like 72% at present, if I recall correctly - I seem to remember that we're roughly 19% nuclear, 9% "renewables", 72% fossil fuel. And that 9% is rising surprisingly rapidly.

[Oz83]

Paul_M3 said:

kambites said:

Oz83 said:

... As we depend on fossil fuels for 90% of our energy,...

No we don't, if by "energy" you mean "electricity".

Indeed, it's nearer to 80% in the UK.

I did mean energy but I got my figure wrong. Apologies I stand corrected. The world, not only the UK, burns fossil fuels to fulfill 80% of it's energy requirements.

[Carnnoisseur]

kambites said:

Seems like a great thing to me, as long as they also continue to make the V8s.

One day the choice may be between something like this and a Nissan Leaf; and then we'll be glad that someone was putting money into high performance electric car research now.

This. So true....

I'm loving the paint job on the electric SLS....