The silence of electric cars on the road is a concern for pedestrians and organizations representing the vision-impaired throughout the world have expressed concerns.
The problem is acute in city environments where electric cars are virtually silent at speeds up to 25 km/h (at faster speeds, tyre noise is noticeable). Human ears detect sounds from 360 degrees, so vision-impaired people could potentially be distracted by other sounds and not be aware of an electric car near them.
So German brand Audi is currently developing an artificial noise for electric cars.
But what is an appropriate sound?
Maybe the unusual noise of the Audi RSQ from the Hollywood film ‘I, Robot’?
“The sounds used for space ships in films are reminiscent of car sounds, yet are also very different, making this a rather interesting approach,” explained Dr Ralf Kunkel, Audi’s Head of Acoustics.
Certainly the roar of Audi’s turbocharged five-cylinder rally car or the grumble of its V8 would not be appropriate as the German brand is keen to promote its electric and hybrid vehicles as innovative and high-tech. Equally Audi says the final product of its electric car development will not be the rustling of leaves or twittering of birds.
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