Oh, my god! Someone actually did it! Electric car with fake exhaust noise. PRETENDER!
It’s often cited as an advantage of electric cars, but it’s also one of the biggest potential danger zones: silence. It makes for peaceful – if somewhat eerie – cruising at speed, but it also poses a huge risk to pedestrians and other road users. So Brabus is doing something about it in the case of the Smart ForTwo Electric drive (ED).
Lotus Engineering and a number of research and automotive firms and governmental entities have come up with solutions that offer realistic exhaust sounds to those outside the cabin, and it’s not clear which solution Brabus is using, but it’s able to replicate a real engine. You can also choose between the sounds of a muscle car or an economy car, depending on your mood, reports Edmunds.
Fortunately, for those times when it would be better to have no sound at all, the system can be turned off with a single switch. So far, the system is just a proof-of-concept, but with all the work going into the field, something similar will come to production by the time the Smart ED hits retail at the end of 2009 or start of 2010.
I knew it is just a matter of time that someone will make fake exhaust noise for electric car. And the time has come. The most horrible thing is it features muscle car sound as well. Imagine that little Smart ForTwo with a Mustang noise, for safety. I mean, what does the pedestrians suppose to watch out? the Smart that is coming at you? or looking for a Mustang and be confused? And when the pedestrians failed to find the Mustang and be hit by the Smart, then what will he or she think about the driver in the Smart? What a pretender!
June 18, 2009 at 11:31 am
That is an interesting taught. EV with fake exhaust noise. Much like a digital camera with a fake “click” every time we take a picture.
Thanks for the post.
‘Will
June 18, 2009 at 11:49 am
Hi, Will
I personally don’t like the idea of fake noise, not even on the digital camera, i switch it off on my digital camera. If the electric is silence, then leave it as silence, I don’t over complicate things and trying to be something that it isn’t. If they are thinking of pedestrian safety, there are other noise on car they can use, like horn or tyre noise. I found that the tyre noise of a car usually is noisier than the engine, and it is enough to catch my attention. Electric cars should have its own identity, not a-petrol-car-wanna-be-but because-want-to-be-green-so-cannot-be-an-petrol-car identity. People should be honest about their cars.
Edwin
June 18, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Hi Edwin,
I do agree with you that there are better ways to warn pedestrian when an EV is coming. Personally, I think there shouldn’t a many design restrictions / requirements on an EV. More effort and thought should be put on finding ways to extend the life of the batteries. Therefore giving the EV better drive mileage.
‘Will