As I've mentioned before I love the quietness of our 2009 Mini E. Every time I drive it I leave the radio off and just meditate on its absolute silence. Aaaah. So Zen.
But apparently when you drive a quiet car you also have to do the thinking for other motorists, pedestrians and, yes, even pigeons, because seems like for a lot of them, if they can't hear it it doesn't exist. Can be a safety issue.
In fact, on the freeway this morning I came up on a Saturn Vue following this beater Civic pretty closely. Almost like he was trying to shove the smaller car out of his way. I waited for him to change lanes since there was a wide-open lane beside him but when he didn't, I went ahead. And of course that's when he decided to change lanes but at that point I was already in the next lane about to pass him. I guess he didn't hear me coming. I honked at him to make sure he didn't continue on his path. Oh wait, I can't blame that incident on the Mini's stealthiness. Saturn boy should have seen me in his mirror and/or out his window. Dillweed.
In any case, apparently there have been concerns expressed over how electric cars' silence can be a safety hazard. And Toyota and Nissan are actually researching sounds for their more silent models.
Sounds like a good idea. Heh, sorry. All I know is that every time I drive our Mini E I am super aware, never taking for granted that people and pigeons can hear me coming. Almost kind of scary. I fear the day someone decides to jaywalk in front of me and I can't stop or swerve in time. Shudder.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor
the_big_al says:
11:33 AM, 11/12/09
i doubt that electric cars are so quiet that it renders them mute. I mean you still have tire noise that can be heard right? Unless you are rolling along at like 10 MPH I would think that you could still hear something. Not being able to hear is not the cars fault, it's the moronic pedestrian that step out into the roadway without looking where he is going.
thejohnp says:
11:59 AM, 11/12/09
When you're driving fast enough with the stereo on and such, it's not like you're able to hear engines from most cars in other lanes anyway. I understand the principle and since you can't depend on other people to be safe, the noise issue should probably be addressed in some fashion.
jriz says:
12:02 PM, 11/12/09
My good friend is blind and when we discussed the supposed issue of electric cars and hybrids for pedestrians, he agreed that car tire noise is more noticeable than the engine anyway. If a car is coming to a stop, he could tell by the whine of regenerative braking when there was a car. He could also hear an accelerating electric motor. The only problem would be a slow-moving, coasting electric car under 10 mph, but if you're going that slow, the driver should be paying close attention enough or have a enough time to stop.
In short, he wasn't that concerned.
adavis2493 says:
12:03 PM, 11/12/09
My car's engine and other noise already drowns out everything else around me. People just need to adapt to the quietness of some new cars.
But then again, there will probably be a few lawsuits by people who can't hear cars, and sooner than you know, every car will be required to beep while backing up. Kind of like a bus.
dalaw says:
12:03 PM, 11/12/09
Yeah I am with big al on this. If it is true that Mini E is so quiet that it is not safe at speeds, then we would be seeing Lexus LS460 sideswiping other cars here and there because that car is so quiet inside. If it was parking lot speeds <15 mph then yeah I can see the issue here with pedestrians, but definately not at freeway speeds you just described.
cr_driver says:
03:12 PM, 11/12/09
Sorry caroline, the audience here didnt like your case, u can go now.
caroscuro says:
03:20 PM, 11/12/09
Eh. It was worth a shot. At least it generated some discussion. :)
vt8919 says:
04:57 PM, 11/12/09
There are already many conventionally-powered new cars these days that are pretty silent at idle or near-idle. I can't count how many times I've been in the parking lot either walking to or coming out of the store, and not even hear the car behind me rolling slowly apart from the tires on the pavement. When you got your mind on other things, it's easy to not hear anything.
f1mom says:
08:25 AM, 11/13/09
I was almost decked by a Prius pulling into the space next to me as I got out of my parked car. The very low speed made very little tire noise and there was enough ambient noise to cover it. And yes, I looked first - he came around from behind my car as I was getting out.
I remember being at Phoenix International Raceway many years ago and they were doing an electric race car demo. Everyone was out on the grid getting ready for the main and that electric car came whizzing through. The only reason it didn't wipe out a whole bunch of folks was that an official in the flagstand saw it and starting yelling. No one heard it coming.
How about someone creates a way to make an electric car sound like a big block V8 or a Ferrari V12?
sylvia says:
10:04 AM, 11/13/09
I can't recall which news program I was watching but a manufacturer rep was talking about allowing owners to customize the sound of their electric or hybrids for safety reasons.