Electric Cars May Need Noisemakers
Whisper-quiet electric and hybrid cars may need an artificial sound boost to let pedestrians know they're there. David Biello reports
SUBSCRIBE TO 60-Second Earth
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
[Sound clip] That's the future sound filling city streets. If President Obama has his way there will be one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. This week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started a process to determine what should be done to make it easier for pedestrians and others who share the road to detect these quiet cars.
[clip 1] That electronic [sound clip] is one of several alternatives if the NHTSA decides to require these cars to add sounds. Here's another [sound clip].
The goal is to give an audio cue, not unlike the beeping associated with the backing up of large trucks. Why? Well, a study led by psychologist Lawrence Rosenblum of the University of California, Riverside, found that blindfolded test subjects could hear an internal combustion engine 36 feet away but didn't hear a hybrid until it was a mere 11 feet away.
That left scant few seconds to react before the hybrid reached them. And that's not safe. Which is why the electric or hybrid cars of the future may sound so, well, futuristic.—David Biello
[The above text is an exact transcript of this podcast.]
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.
