How Quiet is an Electric Car? (the Electric Car Noise debate)
How Quiet is an Electric Car? (the Electric Car Noise debate)
How quiet is an electric car? Do they make too little noise to be heard? Are pedestrians going to be mown down by the new onslaught of electric cars being driven silently at high speed?
Here, Michael Boxwell demonstrates the sound levels of the forthcoming Nissan LEAF and the Mitsubishi i MiEV electric cars, compares them with conventional cars and demonstrates what manufacturers are doing to make electric cars audible when pulling away.
I cant hear cyclists when they are doing about 40Km/h and I dont think anyone else can either, but I never hear people complain………Funny
They sound the same because the majority of noise we’re hearing is the wind.
CAN. YOU. NOT. SHUT. UP.
So I can HEAR the actual CAR SOUNDS?!
@Hirotoro4692 When moving at speed, yes. But around town; at traffic lights and pedestrian crossings; when pulling out of parking spaces or driveways – an electric car can be impossible to hear if there is any other noise – fast moving traffic, air conditioning units, or even rain.
I want a car that runs off coal, that would be cool.,
The first example didn’t demonstrate why the electric car makes the same amount of noise. I’ts a combination of tire noise and wind turbulence. Arguably, the Leaf would have been quieter running at the same speed as the Volvo with engines cut as the the drag coefficiency is lower on the Leaf.
I’ve crept up on a cat in an EV
I have touched (not injured) a man stepping out in front of my EV on a parking lot
Alert sound is how ever only needed at low speed – in my opinion
im sure you’ll build it yourself. I made it 2 weeks ago thanks to inplix website…
I think electric cars are a brilliant tthing, but I am concerned about what effect they will have on blind people like myself because if we can’t hear a vehicle coming, as far as we are concerned there is nothing coming because people with no useful vision like myself are completely reliant on our hearing to be able to know if it is safe to cross a road or not.
That’s because a cyclist weighs 300 lbs tops… and can stop/swerve faster than a vehicle.
I once allmost hit a prius at slow speed. I was on my bicycle and the wind was loud enough for me to not notice the car behind me.
Most car noise comes from the sound of it’s tires rolling on the street and the air that’s moved around the car as it cuts through it. IMHO this accounts for 90% of car noise and has nothing to do with a combustible engine, well except for diesel engines which I absolutely hate!
@ingaman What deal killer? The pedestrian warning noise? That can be switched off.
just do what the audi r8 e-tron does, and make a really kickass sounding artificial futuristic turbine noise (seriously, look it up, it sounds great)
I’m happy that most electric car companies put sound into their design process, but the reason concern was raised is because of the blind, and visually impaired community. We had know way of knowing where the cars were coming from if the car was traveling at slow speed. Also, the way we cross streets independently was effected. We are trained to listen to the traffic patterns to determine when it’s safe to cross. we can cross pretty straight that way.
nissin, mitsabushy… wat.
most of the sound comes from the tyres, not the motors.
@karstenlumbye my cynical self says it’s his fault for being stupid enough to step out in front of you.
I was startled by a Lexus Hybrid which I was standing next to while I was putting something in my car. It could easily have run over my foot, or my shopping! I was literally only about two inches from it, yet I didn’t hear it as it started to move away.
Why? Because it was raining. Videoing in the bright sunshine may be more pleasant, but is hardly the whole story.
Ha ha! Very true.
@nemo2e4 rain or no rain, most modern cars are quiet enough that the vast majority of what you hear is wind and tyre noise.
@MrCHOIDOs I like the idea of Nuclear Thorium. It also provides a clean way to dispose of nuclear wastage.
I don’t think EVs are significantly more risky with regards to noise than other cars. However, people (pedestrians and drivers alike) should never rely on sound to assure that things are safe.
While walking the other day, I almost got hit by a cyclist. The problem was that I didn’t look before changing my position on a walkway (shared pedestrian and cycling). I should have looked first.
No, they can’t and they are also heaver. Force of impact = Mass x acceleration
Its the noise of tyres
I think that if history had gone the other way around, if EV were mainstream and petroleum power cars were emerging, people would be concerned about the infernal noise they make.
I explain the reasons why in my book, The Electric Car Guide.
Ah! There’s the deal killer. Looks like I’m gonna continue paying $1.40/litre.
it makes noise because of the vibration. if the electric car is going slow enough not to vibrate, it wont make any noise
They are designed to be noticed because all ev drivers want everyone to know what good people they are! Personally I don’t think the leaf is THAT bad, I mean, I wouldn’t vote it car of the year but it’s nothing compared to some of the cars around like the fugly Nissan Juke (I call it the Joke) or the new range rover! YUK!
Vehicles can break way faster…….
Think about humanity in the long run and the planet. The sun is the right energy we need.