Hybrids Too Quiet, Get Fake Engine Noise

Terry Olaes

Terry Olaes

I Used to be the [H] News Guy
Joined
Nov 27, 2006
Messages
4,646
Maybe Bubb Rubb was onto something. Hybrids are taking flak from safety advocates for the blind because the cars are too quiet when on battery power, allowing the vehicle to “sneak up” on an unwary pedestrian, blind or sighted. To address this, Lotus has created a system called “Safe & Sound.” Follow the jump to see it in action.

The Lotus “Safe & Sound” sytem (above) generates an artificial engine noise that rises and falls, just like the sounds of a normal engine, during acceleration. Once the regular engine kicks in, the system automatically turns off.
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have they never been around like you know, quiet cars most newer cars Toyota's esp are extremely quiet, I had a Mark VIII that I routinely hit the starter on it because the car was so quiet, even when outside of it.

Also as far as the blind, well most of what you hear from cars driving is tire noise anyways.

Who cares about the blind honestly?
 
Stupid solution: Make cars noisy.

Smart solution: Have cars transmit low-power, short range radio signal with info to allow a simple receiver to determine distance, speed and direction. This transmitter could even be a passive device like RFID provides. Have such a receiver allow for audible or tactile information so a visually-impaired person can hear and/or feel an indication of the vehicles around them. Make sure any audible signal does not block out other sounds (e.g. make headphones that also pass through ambient noises)

Stupid solution will affect everyone with increased urban noise. Smart solution will allow a simple, inexpensive device to be made available to anyone who needs one and can provide for their needs. Smart solution can also allow secondary uses - like having a device in a car that allows a driver to know that a vehicle is in their blind spot.

All bets are that we'll get stuck with the stupid solution.
 
This is stupid since sound and heat are usually signs of wasted energy. Making cars produce fake sounds will just reduce the efficiency of the car and will not make pedestrians hear any better over their MP3 players. How often do blind people need to jaywalk?

A focused driver is better than any sound a car can make for a pedestrian I think.
 
wow, thats retarded...and we'd obviously be paying extra money for it and it would drag on the efficiency of the car
in all my years of driving iv never seen a blind person just taking a walk anyways...
 
dbu8554 said:
Also as far as the blind, well most of what you hear from cars driving is tire noise anyways.
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QFT,
Exceptions are vehicles with big engines (trucks, sports cars, etc)

Michael Daly said:
Stupid solution: Make cars noisy.

Smart solution:
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"Smart Solution" = "Complicated Solution" IMO... Would just never work getting it out there.


Better yet, mandate all blind people either have dog or someone with them on the street.
I'm not blind so I am not the best opinion on this, but if I were blind I wouldn't be trying to cross any streets based on noise alone! Car traveling 90mph... be way too late.
 
I dont want to pay more for a car because a blind person cant see. Yet another example of tyranny of the minority.
 
Smart Solution: save time and money by doing nothing about a problem that doesn't exist.

Dumb solution: spend money so we can charge more money to fix a non-problem and make people feel better about themselves because the volume of your car is obviously directly proportional to your penis size... And the lack of small-penised men and women in America might hurt our sales.

Honestly, check out LA; the nation's capitol of car on pedestrian action, many of them hit and runs; and you'll find that it's not quiet little stealth hybrids munching on the vehicularly challenged. Let's just say, if someone's going to hit you, they're going to hit you and it's not because their engine was too quiet.
 
Let's see how long it'll take for someone to rewire the speaker into their existing system. You know: for the people that drive down the road with the bass cranked up to 11.

Anyway, I also think it's pretty stupid. Sure, blind people should be able to live independently as much as they are able. However, introducing a system that essentially pollutes the environment with noise just for the benefit of the vast minority just isn't logical nor is it a good idea. "tyranny of the minority" indeed.
 
What a waste of time. Just buy the tsunami fake turbo sound kit :)
 
I don't get this. Street Crossings generally make a chirping sound when it's safe to cross the street. If someone runs a red light, then engine noise isn't going to make a difference, especially since idle cars also make engine noise.

In the end, however, I don't really care, so long as it's not audible inside the car. To me, the lack of engine noise is one of the benefits of driving hybrid cars.
 
Herushan said:
A focused driver is better than any sound a car can make for a pedestrian I think.
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Exactly how many of them exist? Just the most basic of surveys would show a disturbingly high percentage of distracted and incompetent drivers.

I think it should say "I am a car. I am a car." over and over again. This world isn't quite weird enough.
 
Retarded move, "Ooh we need to make more sound to help those who are blind and those who are too fucking stupid to remember rule one when they were little... 'look both ways before crossing the street'"

Fact:
Number of blind people killed by Toyota Prius: ZERO.
Number of blind people killed by other cars per year: FIVE
Accident rate of Prius vs other cars: EXACTLY THE SAME

So yeah, maybe it goes a little bit more than sound which dictates who gets killed.

here's another factoid, about 25 kids die per year under rear bumpers and exhaust pipes, maybe we should ban those!
 
While the idea of adding engine noise to them is stupid, I won't lie, I frigging hate being around Hybrids when I'm jogging. Damn things can really sneak up on you. :)
 
LOL. In one of the glaring product placement spots in "Alias" Jack Bristow claims the main advantage of his Ford Escape Hybrid is sneaking around on battery power during surveillance jobs.

hybrids making noise == the terrorits win
 
techie254 said:
wow, thats retarded...and we'd obviously be paying extra money for it and it would drag on the efficiency of the car
in all my years of driving iv never seen a blind person just taking a walk anyways...
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Come to the big city and I promise you you won't ever say that again. I see at least 5-7 blind people per day downtown Chicago. They normally stay in big cities BECAUSE they can't drive and it's the best place to be able to walk anywhere.
 
The lack of compassion to the handicapped in the thread amazes me. I thought most of you guys were pretty cool and understanding. But I guess I know better now.
 
Azhar said:
Come to the big city and I promise you you won't ever say that again. I see at least 5-7 blind people per day downtown Chicago. They normally stay in big cities BECAUSE they can't drive and it's the best place to be able to walk anywhere.
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Just Friday I jogged past several blind people here in LA. We have lots of them in large cities for the exact reasons you mentioned.
 
I've never seen so many self involved people in one spot. So they have cars that artificially make a sound to help someone out. How on earth is that exactly hurting you? Tell you what. Lets record all the whiny sounds from all the people in this thread and have that as the sound coming from electric/hybrid cars. Deaf people won't have a problem of cars sneaking up on them.
 
and you guys are expecting better from internet forums? lol what kind of happy go lucky world are you living in. next you're gonna want us to say good things about apple... :p
 
markt435 said:
and you guys are expecting better from internet forums? lol what kind of happy go lucky world are you living in. next you're gonna want us to say good things about apple... :p
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Way to prove Jack Thompson correct about computers, video games and human mentality.
 
Azhar said:
The lack of compassion to the handicapped in the thread amazes me. I thought most of you guys were pretty cool and understanding. But I guess I know better now.
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Welcome to the Internet, where sensitivity is for whiny emo kids and stereotypical liberals. Note: I said STEREOTYPICAL liberals.

I believe in doing what we can for the less fortunate but I also feel that we could be taking technology into a more positive direction. Like, you know, ACTUALLY PROVIDING SOLUTIONS FOR THEIR PROBLEMS, instead of just making them LIVE with their ailments. That's what pisses me off - we invest in ways to make life easier, but not necessarily BETTER.
 
Azhar said:
Way to prove Jack Thompson correct about computers, video games and human mentality.
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:( It's a sad day when Jack Thompson is proven right.

On topic: What are we going to do when fuel cell cars are mainstream? Will they still emulate the sounds of a gas car? They should at least make it so you can pick what sort of sound you want, because I'd love to have my car sound like an F1 car!
 
i am all for something and it does not have to be only for people who are blind......

one day i was walking up to a mcdonalds on the side of the building where the drive thru windows are....i saw the car there, knew it was there, but the driver was looking into their sack of fries as they started pulling away from the window and because i had already made eye contact with the person moments before i was not looking in that direction anymore....

luckily they noticed at the last moment i had not quite gotten onto the walkway and hit the brakes, but if the car had been making noise i would have heard it coming closer and would have been able to do something about it myself, had they not looked up i would have been hit, and the only thing that would have made the difference is sound
 
I don't really see this being a problem that needs a solution. On the other hand, companies stupid enough to implement this will be amazed when their competitors who dont sell a lot more cars because they don't have fake electric fart cans.

Its bad enough crosswalks make an obnoxious loud bleeping sound now. I dont see why the blind need any more accomodation than that. They shouldn't be crossing where there isnt a crosswalk, and drivers should be keeping their eye open for pedestrians, blind or otherwise.
 
SamuraiInBlack said:
Welcome to the Internet, where sensitivity is for whiny emo kids and stereotypical liberals. Note: I said STEREOTYPICAL liberals.

I believe in doing what we can for the less fortunate but I also feel that we could be taking technology into a more positive direction. Like, you know, ACTUALLY PROVIDING SOLUTIONS FOR THEIR PROBLEMS, instead of just making them LIVE with their ailments. That's what pisses me off - we invest in ways to make life easier, but not necessarily BETTER.
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Yes Samurai I know all about you and your justifications for your attitude towards women and anyone beneath you. Open your eyes a little bit once you get off that soapbox of yours and see what others are saying. One of them said "do we really care about the blind anyways?"

I'm deaf, and I happen to agree with you that we should seek ways to improve our lives whatever it takes. In fact I just shelled out $6700 for a pair of Phonak Naida just last week, the newest and best hearing aids money can currently buy and it improved my hearing immensely. But it isn't a cure. I'm still deaf and I still struggle with hearing sometimes. It's a nice gesture when people turn closed captioning on on the televisions in restaurants or at home for me if I ask them. Are these people really going out of the way to help me live with my ailments? I don't think so. We have just as much rights to understand what's being said on the television as you do until the time comes where deafness is cured. If you don't like it, fine. But piss off with your crusade of justification of how we should exist. This isn't Star Trek where McCoy points a tricorder at someone and they're magically cured.

"The Internet" excuse is getting old already. Those who hides behind that excuse are extremely immature.
 
There is one problem I found with the device; or rather it's deployment.

First of all, it hasn't been introduced before Hybrids, electric, and other 'silent' cars started selling in significant qualities. As far as I know there is no legislation that necessitates a noise making device on vehicles or sets a minimum noise level. That means that by the time noisemakers are required to be equipped on cars there will already be thousands if not millions of 'silent' cars already on the streets. It might help blind people detect some newer cars more easily, but they may not be able to confidently and independently cross the road until every hybrid/electric car has one. That'll probably take decades.

I'm not saying this to criticize the device or oppose its use. Perhaps it really is necessary. Maybe hybrids/electrics do need to make more noise so that pedestrians can better detect them; not just for the safety of them but for the drivers as well (I doubt many drivers are keen on people stepping out into the road right in front of them). However, we should keep in mind that ensuring the independence and safety of blind people is a very tough goal to accomplish; we shouldn't expect one device to instantly achieve that. Assuming it works as intended, I'd consider it to be just one piece of the puzzle.

I guess in the end it's not the added noise that bothered me most about the system, but rather the principle of the thing. Instead of finding a solution that'll better allow blind people to detect vehicles, they're going to other way around and making it so everyone hears the vehicles; blind or otherwise. Logically speaking the best solution would be one that directly improve a person's ability to detect cars rather than place the burden on car manufacturers, legislation, and hybrid/elec car owners. Such a solution would probably be much more complex but seems fairer for everyone.
 
Trained dogs don't need to hear a car coming, but those are just everyday risks for many blind people. And pedestrians have the right away, so I don't think many blind people would get hit by good drivers unless they go charging into the street.

Maybe within a year or two we could rush along a citizen beta version of those robocars for the blind. Sure they crash into eachother once in a while, maybe clip a building every now and then, or sit there for 60 seconds while calculating a confusing situation, but those robocars are still safer drivers than some elderly I've seen driving around here.
 
TechieSooner said:
"Smart Solution" = "Complicated Solution" IMO... Would just never work getting it out there.
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That's what they said about cell phones yet there are over a billion of them in service and companies give them away if you sign a service contract.

The tech is trivial compared to some of the stuff that's out there now, Blind people already have GPS-based systems to guide them around, text readers so they can use computers etc.

Better yet, mandate all blind people either have dog or someone with them on the street.
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I used to guide blind skiers. My ex was a guide for blind marathon runners. One of the blind runners she guided (completed the Chicago marathon 4 years ago) is a professional photographer. It would obviously surprise you what the blind are capable of. They are only handicapped by people that think like you.
 
How will I sneak up on people if they implement this?

I see many potential hacks to make the system play whatever you want. At least that aspect sounds fun.
 
UnlimitedMP said:
How will I sneak up on people if they implement this?

I see many potential hacks to make the system play whatever you want. At least that aspect sounds fun.
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Oh god. Engine ringtones... if this gets implemented I am holding you responsible and removing you from the gene pool.
 
NKDietrich said:
Oh god. Engine ringtones... if this gets implemented I am holding you responsible and removing you from the gene pool.
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hmmm how passive aggressive.. i prefer it phrased "ill rip out your still beating heart, set it on fire and throw it at a wall!!!"
 
This is dumb. First of all the silence of electric cars is Golden. Maybe people need to actually slow down or pay attention. They could have some mechanical sound from the spinning axel producing a slightly less annoying sound.
 
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