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Electric car sounds like herd of horses

You would think this story would be coming from Merry Ole England rather than Japan. Then again, seeing the many outright weird stuff at the Tokyo Motor Show, year after year, maybe this is not that unusual...

Japanese vehicle developer and former rally driver Yoshio Takaoka, with the help of Italy's Start Lab SAP, has created the Girasole, which is an electric car that can be fueled from a home power outlet. Sounds fairly reasonable until you realize, that it has a "clip-clop" herd of horses-like sound to warn pedestrians...

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7 Comments

flicmod says:

10:02 AM, 02/ 9/07

Ok, this is just weird...

rsholland says:

10:15 AM, 02/ 9/07

Well, I told you so. :)

estreka says:

10:15 AM, 02/ 9/07

Haha, I remember this being a problem when electric cars hit the market. City ordinances required them to make sounds so that people would know they're there. I saw kits ranging from engine noises (imagine an EV1 that sounds like a Ferrari at full throttle, even if the EV1 is just sitting there) to wailing sirens (which are illegal).
 
This is a funny new approach.

flicmod says:

12:08 PM, 02/ 9/07

Haha! If I was walking across a street and I heard an approaching noise that sounded like a high performance engine revving out, I think I'd crap my pants

steve_ says:

01:03 PM, 02/ 9/07

I think I'll program my electric car to sound like playing cards clothes-pinned to my bicycle spokes.

ateixeira says:

01:38 PM, 02/ 9/07

How 'bout a small block soundtrack instead? LOL

gmguy111 says:

09:43 PM, 02/ 9/07

drive this thing in an amish community with the horse clip clop sounds and see how many perplexed amish people you'd leave in your wake

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