Is the Volt TOO quiet?

[Slapshot28]

Honestly, this is stupidest idea that Washington has come up with yet (and that's a very low bar). Can you imagine what NYC traffic would sound like 10 years from now? A cacophony of weird, synthetic sounds?

Hopefully, autonomous vehicle control (ultra-safe and yes, quiet) will come to the rescue before then.

[Steverino]

The law is intended to benefit the blind primarily.

As for the self-absorbed who have willfully shut out the world around them with earbuds, gameboys, smartphone fb updates and the like, they will still be oblivious.

[Fulgerite]

OK... They can put a little whirring noise on my Volt if they also pass a law to silence Harley Davidson Motorcycles down to the same volume OK?

[daryllafferty]

Are we going to have to add sounds to our bicycles too? Getting hit by a bicycle can be pretty dangerous.

And my Mom drives an electric scooter -- does she have to add sound? She drives it in the mall where there are a lot more people than in a parking lot.

I think it's a matter of common sense and consideration on both sides. Drive slowly and defensively when people are around, and look where you are going as a pedestrian.

The exception would be blind people. I wouldn't hesitate to sound my "pedestrian alert" if I saw someone nearby with a white cane.

[vdiv]

Yeah, sorry, my bike is also pretty silent, and so am I while walking or running. Maybe we should all go back to the '80s and carry a blaring boombox on a shoulder and wear flashing sneakers.

Why can't people for once be responsible for their actions and have just a little situation awareness and cognition that they live in a society with other beings?

[CTM]

I am the first to admit that I have become a very cynical man over the last many years and for good reason I think. The right wing attack on the Volt is a prime example. I would submit that "noisy" EVs make them a bit less desirable? I wonder if our friends at the oil lobby may be stoking these embers and getting their congressional friends to try to slow down the EV movement. Think about how much money we have already taken out of their pockets. Noisy EVs take away one of the important attributes of the technology. We have all had that "wow" moment the first time we experienced the quiet of our Volts. Additionally, at virtually any speed above a crawl, most of a normal car's noise comes from its tires, both ICE and EV. Ever enjoy the quiet when there is snow on the ground and it masks the tire noise? I might accept that at 5mph and below, some warning might be beneficial for the vision impaired or intellect impaired, but up to 25mph is absurd IMHO.

[CarZin]

I may not mind a sound, as long as its something cool

[cmr]

I am the first to admit that I have become a very cynical man over the last many years and for good reason I think. The right wing attack on the Volt is a prime example. I would submit that "noisy" EVs make them a bit less desirable? I wonder if our friends at the oil lobby may be stoking these embers and getting their congressional friends to try to slow down the EV movement. Think about how much money we have already taken out of their pockets. Noisy EVs take away one of the important attributes of the technology. We have all had that "wow" moment the first time we experienced the quiet of our Volts. Additionally, at virtually any speed above a crawl, most of a normal car's noise comes from its tires, both ICE and EV. Ever enjoy the quiet when there is snow on the ground and it masks the tire noise? I might accept that at 5mph and below, some warning might be beneficial for the vision impaired or intellect impaired, but up to 25mph is absurd IMHO.

that's not being cynical my friend...... that is being realistic.

[supermachoman]

[Dithermaster]

Honestly, I think the problem is going away over time. We had a 2006 Prius, and *lots* of people walked right in front of it in parking lots because it was so quiet (when the ICE was off). I think over time, at least in my fine greener-than-most city, people have gotten used to cars making less noise, and maybe they even recognize the high-pitched whine of an electric motor.

I'm against silly EV noises.

I wanted to be against the synthetic noise Audi showed for the e-tron R8, but I now admit if I had a switch that enabled that noise on my Volt, I'd probably use it from time to time...