Electric car sound (or lack of it)
Discussion
Ok, my biased of disliking hybrids/electric cars might show here, but christ, these things are dangerous.
We live in a cul-de-sac with a blind bend at the end. We live just around the blind bend, with 1 more house past ours.
Typically, that neighbour, has just bought a bimmer hybrid.
In the past i have had to ask him to slow down when going around the corner, but in the past we heard him coming with his agricultural sounding SUV.
Now though this new motor is near silent. I s**t you not. I've sat next to an open window 5 foot from the road and he has driven me past without me hearing.
I thought these things were meant to make a noise? Goodness know how a blind or visually impaired person could hear it coming. At 10-15mph there really is no tyre noise either. Scary and dangerous.
My V8 on the hand can be heard coming 100 yards away
FOr road safety - buy a V8
We live in a cul-de-sac with a blind bend at the end. We live just around the blind bend, with 1 more house past ours.
Typically, that neighbour, has just bought a bimmer hybrid.
In the past i have had to ask him to slow down when going around the corner, but in the past we heard him coming with his agricultural sounding SUV.
Now though this new motor is near silent. I s**t you not. I've sat next to an open window 5 foot from the road and he has driven me past without me hearing.
I thought these things were meant to make a noise? Goodness know how a blind or visually impaired person could hear it coming. At 10-15mph there really is no tyre noise either. Scary and dangerous.
My V8 on the hand can be heard coming 100 yards away
FOr road safety - buy a V8
Edited by Stut4 on Monday 10th May 20:26
Durzel said:
Is he driving on the pavement? Are you walking in the middle of the road?
90 degree blind bend. no pavement and house goes from door to road - nothing in between. usually had to take care when leaving house, but this silent car makes it a bit more dicey. especially given his driving standards are far from good. he's hit my car in the past when going past my car as he thinks an 9 foot gap isn't big enough...with the speed he goes past it. (trucks, ambulances and fire engines can get through no problem).Edited by Stut4 on Monday 10th May 20:26
I thought they were meant to emit some form of sound generator.
I have eyes - i can see. i make sure my kids check before leaving the house.
But if i have my blind neighbour in from down the road - how the heck will he know if its coming if he knocks on my door, i'm not in - turns around and gets squashed? He won't get squashed by bike - but would by the suv.
Just saying the lack of sound from them is concerning. Thought it would be needed for safety.
I have eyes - i can see. i make sure my kids check before leaving the house.
But if i have my blind neighbour in from down the road - how the heck will he know if its coming if he knocks on my door, i'm not in - turns around and gets squashed? He won't get squashed by bike - but would by the suv.
Just saying the lack of sound from them is concerning. Thought it would be needed for safety.
People are mocking but this is set to become a real issue. EVs already cost more to insure than their ICEd counterparts, and the gap is set to become much bigger. One of the main issues is a big spike in low speed pedestrian injury claims coming in, with people being hit in supermarket car parks and the like because of the lack of engine noise.
RSA already refuse to cover EVs and Aviva are about to hit their EV customers with big increases on already loaded premiums. And there are other insurance issues with EVs re repair/inspection costs as well as this issue.
RSA already refuse to cover EVs and Aviva are about to hit their EV customers with big increases on already loaded premiums. And there are other insurance issues with EVs re repair/inspection costs as well as this issue.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
People are mocking but this is set to become a real issue. EVs already cost more to insure than their ICEd counterparts, and the gap is set to become much bigger. One of the main issues is a big spike in low speed pedestrian injury claims coming in, with people being hit in supermarket car parks and the like because of the lack of engine noise.
RSA already refuse to cover EVs and Aviva are about to hit their EV customers with big increases on already loaded premiums. And there are other insurance issues with EVs re repair/inspection costs as well as this issue.
thank you. i am not surprised. i really did not expect it to be so quiet. its silent - almost like i've gone deaf. Seeing movement but no noise. I thought they had to have a sound generator on board. (some videos i have seen - Jaguar ipace have a noise generator).RSA already refuse to cover EVs and Aviva are about to hit their EV customers with big increases on already loaded premiums. And there are other insurance issues with EVs re repair/inspection costs as well as this issue.
Please do not mock - one of my neighbours is almost fully blind - happened suddenly 10 years ago - he relies almost entirely on sound. i see him out walking in our estate and hold my breath as i drive past him hoping he doesn't step out. my car is noisy. the neighbours one isn't. and its quite a difference being hit by a bike at 15mph and a car at 15mph.
I did drive an EV for the first time recently, a Nissan Leaf, I was very impressed with it and it made me realise I’d be happy to have an EV.
I did notice quite quickly driving through town, despite emitting a sound people just walked in front of it, one thing which was awkward I was on a tight one way road and someone was walking in the middle, even right behind him he couldn’t hear me, I had to beep the horn and the poor chap jumped 6 foot in the air, which felt rather antisocial. Maybe EV’s should have a button that says “excuse me”, I believe Tesla’s can have custom horn sounds.
It could be a problem, but if people just look for traffic they should be fine, sadly people are kind of stupid.
I did notice quite quickly driving through town, despite emitting a sound people just walked in front of it, one thing which was awkward I was on a tight one way road and someone was walking in the middle, even right behind him he couldn’t hear me, I had to beep the horn and the poor chap jumped 6 foot in the air, which felt rather antisocial. Maybe EV’s should have a button that says “excuse me”, I believe Tesla’s can have custom horn sounds.
It could be a problem, but if people just look for traffic they should be fine, sadly people are kind of stupid.
At anything over about 10mph, tyre noise dwarfs engine noise for a modern mainstream petrol car anyway so either he's driving very slowly or you have highly selective hearing.
It's a problem in car parks where they're often doing <10mph, but I've never failed to hear an EV on an actual road, even at the sort of 10-15mph speed range. At <10mph he damned well should be able to stop if you step out in front of him anyway!
ETA: The requirement for EVs to make an artificial noise is <20kph so I guess he's going faster than that. Or he's turned it off somehow.
It's a problem in car parks where they're often doing <10mph, but I've never failed to hear an EV on an actual road, even at the sort of 10-15mph speed range. At <10mph he damned well should be able to stop if you step out in front of him anyway!
ETA: The requirement for EVs to make an artificial noise is <20kph so I guess he's going faster than that. Or he's turned it off somehow.
Edited by kambites on Monday 10th May 19:22
kambites said:
ETA: The requirement for EVs to make an artificial noise is <20kph so I guess he's going faster than that. Or he's turned it off somehow.
thats interesting to know about the sound <20kph. this thing is silent. uncannily so. don't even pick up the noise of the tyres and at most he only does 10-15 mphto get around the corner. wonder if he has switched off the artificial noise. its just watching the TV on mute when it goes past. i'll let my blind mate know to be extra cautious as he goes past his house every day - sure he already is - but i never realised how quiet they were until the past few weeks. Edited by kambites on Monday 10th May 19:22
ps - it wasn't an EV hating thread. it was primarily about the lack of sound. as i originally said - i am not against EV's. I don't particularly get excited by them and almost bought the wife a e-golf last year i was tempted - around town, short distances they make sense. like the idea of the instant torque but really do not think of them as the savoir of our world at present.
Make your mind up, you have told him to slow down because he drives too fast, yet is also only doing 10 to 15 mph, his previous car was too agricultural sounding, and now he has something less abrasive it doesn’t make enough noise.
Are you sure that all this is because you don’t like him?
Are you sure that all this is because you don’t like him?
Stut4 said:
kambites said:
ETA: The requirement for EVs to make an artificial noise is <20kph so I guess he's going faster than that. Or he's turned it off somehow.
thats interesting to know about the sound <20kph. this thing is silent. uncannily so. don't even pick up the noise of the tyres and at most he only does 10-15 mphto get around the corner. wonder if he has switched off the artificial noise. its just watching the TV on mute when it goes past. i'll let my blind mate know to be extra cautious as he goes past his house every day - sure he already is - but i never realised how quiet they were until the past few weeks. Edited by kambites on Monday 10th May 19:22
ps - it wasn't an EV hating thread. it was primarily about the lack of sound. as i originally said - i am not against EV's. I don't particularly get excited by them and almost bought the wife a e-golf last year i was tempted - around town, short distances they make sense. like the idea of the instant torque but really do not think of them as the savoir of our world at present.
As above once over 20mph tyre noise takes over anyway for most ICE and EV's. The generator is for car parks etc. and has a different sound for reverse.
Pica-Pica said:
austinsmirk said:
They make a noise at low speed. Biggest problem I’ll admit driving them, is across supermarkets for instance is pedestrians with their faces glued into a phone- oblivious to probably anything.
.. and drivers oblivious to the 5mph speed limit in most supermarkets.If it was my car I would be fitting some kind of buzzer than I can turn on at low speed.
It has this but only works in reverse.
Had a few people get shirty with me too when I bib them for walking out on me and clearly have no idea I am there.
Stut4 said:
Ok, my biased of disliking hybrids/electric cars might show here, but christ, these things are dangerous.
Says the man who drives a V8 Volvo Chelsea tractor Edited by Stut4 on Monday 10th May 20:26
Oh dear, it must be time for bed. Have a cocoa. Do look out for "noisy cyclists" while you're at it and do let us know when you get your mobility scooter
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