We’ve all listened to cars, all our lives and we’ve always heard them. The clatter of an old VW bug. The rumble of a high-performance muscle car. But those sounds may be fading into the past. As hybrids and all-electric cars become more common, the sound of cars is changing. Hybrids and electric cars make almost no noise at all, especially when they’re moving slowly.
Some engineers think this could be a bad thing. Think about it. You’re walking across a parking lot, minding your own business, and suddenly there’s that almost-silent electric car. Right on top of you. You never heard it coming. And imagine what it would be like at night. Or any time if you can’t see.
Engineers are working on ways to fix the problem. By adding sound back into electric cars. Some are going the simple route. Just plain noise. One possible added sound is a little like a jet engine with some added static. Kind of hard to miss.
Another possibility some engineers are exploring would allow you to change the sound of your electric car or hybrid to fit your mood. Anything from that jet to a superstock Dodge or an 18-wheeler.
Our car isn’t electric or silent. It’s just plain noisy. See you next time.
Photo: Darrel Ronald/Flickr.com
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Gene Charleton is a science writer at the Texas Engineering Experiment Station and Texas A&M
University in College Station, Texas. He’s been watching and writing about science and technology for more than 30 years. Engineering Works! was born in 2003
as a two-minute radio show on Texas
A&M University’s NPR outlet, KAMU-FM.
Tags: Cars, Electric Cars, Transportation
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