A Noisy debate: should EV’s make noise?

October 12, 2007 by Rob.

A debate about laws requiring noise makers for EV and Hybrids that have no idle noise has been raging on the EVDL.  I dismissed this debate as OT (off topic), but it generates a surprisingly emotional response when I bring it up in conversation.  Laura got so mad that I moved the knives to a more secure hiding place and changed my online passwords (now it’s “password2″).

This colorful issue is that blind people rely on the engine’s idling when they cross an intersection.  The vision of the legislation is to require cars to have some external sound.  It appears that this is a serious issue for the blind; however, I see this solution as having all sorts of problems.  Here are issues EVDL focused on w/ my additions:

• What types of sounds are OK?  Is a horse clop sound acceptable?  Ride of the Valkyries?  Can we personalize them?
• What frequency is acceptable since it’s hard to determine direction from a high pitch sound?
• Does turning your radio way up count?  What if the music is distasteful to the blind person?  What if it’s talk radio!
• How loud is loud enough?  What about compensating for ambient noise?
• What about backing up?  Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep!  Should the sounds be directional or speed based?
• What about really quiet gassers that idle so really softly (Lexus)?
• Would smells work?  Maybe we need car perfume!  What if the blind person had a cold?

I don’t categorically hate blind people (really), the real problem is the drivers not paying attention.  That problem is not going away …oops, gotta run my cell phone is ringing!

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