Automakers Add Noise to Hybrids
By now, you may have heard the ruckus about how Hybrid cars are too quiet, which has safety experts worried that people won't hear them coming. The good news (uh, maybe), reports the New York Times, is that Hybrid automakers are now working to equip cars with artificial sounds. Fisker, Nissan, and Toyota are all automotive companies that have been working on these "car tones." Next year, Fisker's Karma will emit a sound similar to a "cross between a starship and a Formula One race car." If that doesn't sound appealing to you, the future may bring the option of letting drivers choose their preferred type of vroom.
-- Lisa Lombardi
Comments
This may be the dumbest thing I've ever read. Next thing the automakers will do is add artificial exhaust because the cars are considered too clean. Is a bicycle too quiet? Well, you can get hit by those too! Just open your eyes and pay attention to the hopefully quieter world around you.
Flag ThisAllowing drivers to pick their own "vroom" -- that has no potential for getting at all obnoxious...
Flag ThisI second this motion! One of my former neighbors used to have a prius, and he nearly run over me a couple times as he was getting into our building garage. Not because of him, but just me trusting my ears, as I tried to cross the little back-ally garage entrance. I always thought about old people trying to cross an intersection. Yes, I know that it is the responsibility of the pedestrian, yet it forces him/her to pay even more attention.
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