[rkitamata]

Has anyone else heard the latest news about 'hybrid vehicles' being too quiet? Apparently there have been incidents of the visually challenged almost being hit by Prius' and other linear electric to gas hybrids. They are too quiet in electric motor mode, and can go undected at corner crosswalks.

Some groups are asking the auto makers to add some kind of an 'operating sound' to their vehicles. I am not certain yet how I feel about this specific suggestion. But I do believe something should be done to prevent innocent pedestrians from being inadvertantly injured, by otherwise well meaning and socially responsible motorists.

rk

 

[HafNHaf]

when its warmed up you have to really listen to hear when my insight engine starts up. its almost silent when running. maybe i should record my bosses hemi???

 

[ikhoudvanu199]

someone gimme a mustag V8 with a flow master recorded on a CD, i can loop it on my CD player...and being played thru my huge subwoofer, anyone could hear it from miles away :lol:

 

[Fred]

... Some groups are asking the auto makers to add some kind of an 'operating sound' to their vehicles.
... something should be done to prevent innocent pedestrians from being inadvertantly injured,

"Some groups" - like who?

These cars are quiet, a lot quieter than most you'll find in the big city environments with their massive engines, defective mufflers, and inconsiderate drivers but out here in the rural areas where I moved to get away from the insanity, noise and filth of the "beautiful cities", believe me when I say, the last thing I want to hear is some idiot simulating macho man roaring down the road letting everyone and every creature around know he's around.

As for the pedestrain issue, if you want to keep "innocent pedestrians from being ... injured," simply stay alert and stay away from them, which is another way of saying, if elderly folk or the like are crossing the street and are quite slow about it - some day you will be like them - so just sit and wait, a moment or two. A little patience never hurt anyone.

Fred / Proud Owner of "The Silver Bullet"

 

[flymuck]

It would be really, really sad if there were some forced noise added to quiet cars to protect the occasional pedestrian who isn't paying attention (or can't see) *and* the driver isn't paying attention (you'd think with all those variables, it would be a pretty rare event). Noise pollution is already a problem -- let's not add more noise to the world, please?

I don't know if you guys watch the Showtime show "Weeds", but there was a recent funny development (funny, if you like dark humor). Some gangsters end up buying a bunch of Priuses because they're super-quiet at low speeds, so they can sneak up on other gangs and drive-by shoot them!

Not such good marketing for the Prius, eh? :roll:

 

[Rick]

Hmm, EV1's had a feature built in when you were in a parking lot if you blipped the high beam the car would do some sort of alert, though I never experienced it personally I believe it was similar to the backup "bink" you can hear in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsdUfAEIEos

Almost sounds like it was sending a real quick blip of power to the horn.

Easiest way to make a hybrid make noise, turn on the AC which turns on the electric cooling fan, probably the loudest thing. Still there are lots of other really quiet cars out there.

 

[JakkedUp]

I wouldn't doubt that regulation on this subject will soon follow. In the "railroad" business, it's called a "ghost car". A fully loaded railroad car, that has been pushed into a railroad yard, has no diesel engine connected to it. It is "coasting" along on it's own momentum. Being fully loaded, it makes no sound at all and is very dangerous. Of course, the smart person always looks first, then crosses the track. But people have been hurt/killed by these "ghost cars".

 

[ScottH]

Maybe we can install the 'Pimp My Ride' gadget that hooked up to your tach and had a speaker and amp hooked up to it. Then we could sound like a Maybach, a Ferrarri.....

 

[b1shmu63]

You got me thinking about a gadget made out of a short section of bicycle inner tube and a small piece of printed circuit board that stretches over a tailpipe. If you have ever made rude noises by stretching the neck of a party ballon, you get the idea. The trouble is, it wouldn't work on a Prius, at least until the motor kicked in, and it would be hazardous on a car with a leaking exhaust system.

A little black box tied in with the car's sound system seems like a very reasonable approach for those with a need to be moved audibly. For myself, I'd be satisfied with the sound of a barking dog as a deer repellent.

 

[flymuck]

Many years ago, I had a boyfriend who had installed a small loudspeaker under the hood of his car... he would creep people out when driving slowly through a parking lot by whispering "psssst! Hey!" or "What are you doing?" and people (including myself) would jump and look around. It was very amusing, in that juvenile kind of way.

Did you guys read about the lawsuit in California re. the blind not being able to access Verizon's website? No, seriously. California is waaaaaay overboard with the PC stuff, if'n you ask me. So, I'm sure something will come of this, WRT the blind not being able to hear the hybrids. It's a shame, if you ask me -- I think what this world needs is *less* noise (she says, as the guy with the Harley & loud pipes drives past her house)...

-fly

 

[rkitamata]

Adding sounds to a 'silent' hybrid. . .

I think the idea posed on the GM EV1 'post' was a good start. A way for the driver to at least alert a pedestrian, without a blaring horn! I think the EV1 had a loud beeping sound that the driver could hit with the blinker stalk or something along those lines? In any case, it would have to be a sound 'officially' recognized as a warning, for ANYONE unaware of an approaching auto. (Universal Design).

New Times, New Ways. . .

 

[Lee]

Jay Leno mentioned this issue in his monologue last night. It’s kind of funny but he is poking fun at us. Link is below, you want the monologue for 10/4. It’s about half way through.

http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/

 

[flymuck]

Naahhh, I think he meant just those Prius drivers...

 

[chaunceyboyblu]

skip valve adjustments at service intervals.

ROBERT
kALISPELL, mT.
2001 INSIGHT THAT NEEDS VALVE ADJ