Discussion on Radio 4 today about electric cars being a lot quieter than fossil fueled motors ... a petrol/diesel motor can be heard from 12ft away where'as an electric job can only be heard from 3 ft away (have I explained that properly!)
They were saying electric cars may have to be made more noticible to peds and some suggestions were ~
Horses hooves ... but would sound like a stampede on the M25 etc., etc.
Music -- maybe with a connection to whatever area one lives.
A personal ring tone - like your mobile phone.
I'd kinda like a leccie that looks *AND SOUNDS* like a Lola :)
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Wire wheels with either:
a) a piece of plastic for that authentic motor sound
b) those bits of plastic that go up down the spokes (can't for the life of me remember what they were called)
OR how about looking both ways,
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Spokey-dokeys! A brilliant idea. :-)
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Few years back Northumbria Police changed their diesel patrol cars for petrol because they found suspects could hear the diesels coming too easily.
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In Zermatt the only vehicles are of the electric milk cart type, used to shift baggage to and from the rail station to the hotels, (other than snow ploughs/diggers and dust bin truck).
They are fitted with cowbells to warn pedestrians of their approach.
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I like the music idea:-
Go through Salford and the car will play some Joy Division, go through Burnage and it will blast out Oasis, go through Stretford and you will get some Morrissey. If you go to Sheffield you will get some Human League perhaps Living in Electric dreams.
I have often though of this though before that electric cars are a danger because they are so silent.
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Back along I heard Jeremy Hardy admit he has a Prius. He said he goes around with his head out of the window, shouting 'poop poop'.
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Our 1.9 Punto can be heard before it comes around a bend 300yards away. It`s also `felt` by vibrations it puts into the road.
People in their homes have to rush to the toilet as it passes by - perhaps something along those lines.
I could record it, but not sure how to get the vibrations into the ground on an electric car. Perhaps if the cars underpan were formed as a giant `boom box`?
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>>> They are fitted with cowbells to warn pedestrians of their approach. <<<
Brilliant!!!
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I want an Austerity Class loco (circa 1958) sound on mine - with that hollow clanking sound that could be heard miles away - as it slowly hove into view pulling 100 coal trucks.
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Saw a story in the paper today - goodness the papers are dreary at the moment, nothing but shopping lists - about research by Lotus I think into sham Ferrari noises to make electric cars audible. Perhaps not Ferrari noises, but that would be what people would want.
I think it's a terrible idea, squeaky electronic 'car noises' when you could have silence. If they must have car noises why not a really clumsy car thief trying to change gear in an Alfa Giulietta or any other abused rear-transaxle Alfa. Set people's teeth on edge a bit.
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Lud
The DT today says
"Under new proposals, the European Union is set to follow America's lead in forcing manufacturers to fit the vehicles with a simulator to make the same noise as the throaty revs of a petrol engine."
A news item today, covered electric motorcycles. Now that really is scary.
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It could be that with the pig flu + over population + climate change + the rout of the honey bee - we'll all be going back to the orsen cart pretty soon anyway.
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You could have some sort of I-Drive contraption that would let you select your pre-recorded sound - e.g.
- 1920s Bullnose Morris pulling away in first (the noise they used for Postman Pat's van)
- Flatulent Morris 1000 slowing down
- (the ultimate) 1950s diesel Commer lorry.
Edited by Avant on 11/05/2009 at 22:58
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>>>1920s Bullnose Morris pulling away in first (the noise they used for Postman Pat's van)
- Flatulent Morris 1000 slowing down
- (the ultimate) 1950s diesel Commer lorry.<<<
You've forgotten, quite unintentionally I know - the veedub 1200.
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How about a high pitched whine, combined with the clatter of milk bottles and tuneless whistling?
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Some sort of futuristic turbine noise would be nice.
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When the centre of Leeds was one of the first in the UK to be pedestrianised. To pacify retailers convinced their customers would walk (or rather not) they had electric shuttle buses - and the consequent problem that peds just walked in front of them. They had bells or horses hooves or something.
Stopped the buses after a short time when it was realised that folks actually liked the precinct much better than the traffic soaked bits.
Edited by Bromptonaut on 11/05/2009 at 23:54
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Much simpler to bring in an anti-jaywalking bill. there`s enough noise pollution already.
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I watched a 1920-something Rolls-Royce shooting brake sweep silently into a retail car park last year. At about 20 mph the only sound was a faint sort of rubbery crunch from its enormous tyres.
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I noticed when driving a Prius in a supermarket carpark that an incredible number of people just wandered in front of me. This was in the US though, where nobody pays much attention to their surroundings whether driving or on foot.
I hate the idea of having to artificially make the car noisier as a substitute for peoples' common sense. One of the nicest things about the Prius is the ability to glide around in virtual silence. If people can't cope with silent cars then what about the cyclists and trams that also glide around many European city centres?
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What about cyclists?
Thats exactly my question. Cyclists get cut up and have to bellow 'get out of my way' why on those cycle/foot paths. People do have no common sense when somthing is silent.
So what sound would I suggest?
Along with Lud prehapps the yowl of a big V12 or V8. Sometime ago on this forum I can remember people discussing about this casset type plyer that plugs into your engine to make a sound like a supercar, Maybe something like that, but external.
Another thing that could be intresting is having music, it's style determined by how you drive. Thus if you drive like a maniac Death Metal or hardcore dance could be played. If you drove very serenly light classical, Motzart maybe?
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You couldn't have music blaring from your G Whizz because otherwise you'd have to pay for a public music licence. More money for the Governments coffers.
However...if you fitted a PA system, you could drive along making your own car noises a la school playground when you were 6 yrs old.
Nnnnnereeeeeeeeaaaaaoooouuuuuuuuwwwwwwwww
(McLaren F1 in case you didnt know).
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All that's needed is a sensor on the front of the car to detect any object in or approaching the road. Then the car could let out the crazed howl of a 1200bhp Porsche 917 wheelspinning away from the hairpin at Brand's Hatch in heavy rain. The rest of the time it would just waft silently along.
It would make rush hour a bit noisy but we could wear earplugs.
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I must say I've laughed out loud at some of the replies to this thread but ...
Leccies are a'coming whether we like it or niet.
Ciggies in the pub, 100w pearl light bulbs and petrol @ 6s 8p are dead as the Raphus cucullatus.
I think maybe Lud is on the right 'track' with his sensor - a kind of motion detector which obviously would evolve to make driving a Leccie *fully* automatic!
How pleasant life/driving would become, we could even have our Leccies emit a scent of Lavender to freshen the air ... and men may take to the application of shaving balm!
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How pleasant life/driving would become we could even have our Leccies emit a scent of Lavender to freshen the air
Ah, that's why these were invented:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=74...7
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>>> Ah, that's why these were invented: <<<
I think its time I hit the Absinthe !!!
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"I think its time I hit the Absinthe !!!"
Well, at least that'll make the heart grow fonder..... :)
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ive finished my bottle off (pere kermans) :-(
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>>> ive finished my bottle off (pere kermans<<<
Ah! Aviation fuel I believe - 100 octane ;)
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I think blasting out Ride of the Valkyries would be just perfect, as long the speed of the car warranted it; otherwise Old Man River.
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>>> Ride of the Valkyries would be just perfect <<<
Fortschritt durch Musik!
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A few years back I was chatting with an American business acquaintance who frequented Bonneville during the season [ he ran an outrageously hotted-up Austin Healy ] who told me about Honda's electric car runs. Apparently they were doing publicity-seeking runs, but complaints were made about the silence of the car. Most wanderers just wandered on to the track despite official intransigence, and some nearly got skittled. Representations were made to Honda, who went to their mates Pioneer. A very powerful audio set was inastalled which did make noises like a racing car. Once !!! After that, it could be anything from a berserk runaway steam train to Beethoven's fifth by way of a stampeding herd on buffalo.
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It would be a shame if Leccies were made to become more audible in some new fangled way - I prefer a quiet smooth engine with grace, pace and space for the mutt.
My old Rover P6 V8 with SD1 heads was probably as quiet as a Leccie I would say, even my Almera 1.8 is very quiet - especially as its an auto box combined with my mimser driving style ... the tyres probably make more racket than the engine, unless I'm playing Pink Floyds 'echoes' on the wireless!
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ahh Echoes. Fabulous pice of music for wafting on a sunny afternoon's drive to nowhereinparticluar
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Downloading your "cartone" would be a great opportunity for self expression.
Personally I would want mine to sound like a full-bore works rally Audi Quattro with that lovely 5 cylinder wooflle.
Perhaps recently qualified younger drivers could be compelled to have their car playing nursery rhymes to discourage them from cruising around town centres all night.
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My mate Martin, who is almost a Professor of Psychology - so he knows a thing or 2 about cars says ~
How about personalised tunes for the car to indicate ones occupation ...
Tax inspector - 'The taxman' of course
Optician - 'I can see for miles en miles'
getaway driver - 'Bat out of hell'
Carpenter 'Knock on wood'
A hired car could play 'Baby you can drive my car'
Builder - 'Another brick in the wall'
Politician - 'Money, by Pink Floyd :)
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