Are Hybrid & Electric Cars Dangerously Quiet?

Saturday, 30. August 2008

Concerns have been raised over the noise levels of hybrid and electric cars. Not that they are loud, quite the reverse – they are too quite making it virtually impossible for pedestrians and cyclists to hear them before they reach them. As a result, Lotus have used new technology to synthesise the noise of an engine. They have developed a Safe & Sound Hybrid demonstrator, a Toyota Prius with a loudspeaker on the roof which emits a noise depending on the speed of the vehicle. Mike Kimberley, Lotus’s CEO said ‘We hope legislators introduce minimum noise requirements for vehicles to encourage the adoption of technologies, such as ours, which will ultimately increase pedestrian safety.’ Who would have ever imagined that at some stage we would have to consider a minimum noise level on a motor vehicle? As always I have a few suggestions, how about having speed limiters fitted on hybrids and electric vehicles to the speed of a milk float – you don’t hear of too many serious accidents as a result of not hearing a milk float do you? Mind you that might have something to do with the fact that you can normally walk faster and they only appear at 4.00 in the morning! The other suggestion would be to fit Mr Whippy style synthesisers to the roof – wouldn’t miss the bloody thing then and the driver could also make a few bob selling ices out of the boot! OK best I stick to finance! By Graham Hill