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> Drivers will have to shed their attachment to the sound, smell and feel of gas-powered engines. I for one will not feel the least bit sad when continuous, sm
by _greim_ 9y ago
> Drivers will have to shed their attachment to the sound, smell and feel of gas-powered engines.
I for one will not feel the least bit sad when continuous, smooth acceleration becomes the norm, and lurchy, awkward automatic transmissions fade into distant memory.
I'll probably feel slightly nostalgic about the sound and smell of fuel-burning cars someday, but it won't inform my buying choices in the slightest.
- Swizec 9y agoThere are transmissions other than automatic. And I agree, they’re better if you know what you’re doing. But modern high-end automatics are in fact smoother than most humans. Racecar drivers might be smoother still but even they use flappypadle automatic sequential gearboxes at the very top end of racing because even the best trained humans are just too slow. Curiously, racing electric cars use gearboxes too.
- gambiting 9y agoYep. ZF 8 speed automatic, Mercedes new 9 speed dual clutch, are probably the smoothest transmissions available on the market. I've got years of experience of driving manual cars and I can't even pretend that I would be able to change gears as smoothly as those boxes. And I drive a Mercedes-AMG with a 7-speed dual clutch and under hard acceleration that box changes gears within 100ms(actual number supplied by AMG) - there's no way a human could change gears that quickly.
- clouddrover 9y ago> Curiously, racing electric cars use gearboxes too. Some do and some don't in Formula E: http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2016/october/insight-how-the-cars-have-changed/ http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2016/october/insight-how-...
- hodgesrm 9y agoSpeaking as a manual transmission fan I agree fully with your assessment about current automatics. My BMW 328d xDrive ships with an 8-speed automatic transmission that shifts at least as well as I can myself under normal road conditions. It really changes the equation for manual vs. automatic.
- wojt_eu 9y agoI already feel nostalgic about gas-powered cars, their place is alongside steam locomotives as movie props and tourist attractions. Imagine people doing gas-punk cosplay in a couple of decades.
- farrisbris 9y agoI really really really do not share that nostalgia. I live in a city center and the only amount significant source of noise is from cars/buses. Sure you will have sirens or people shouting every now and again, but there is a constant buzzing sound from motors that goes on throughout the day and most of the night. I moved from a relatively quiet neighbourhood to where i am a few years ago, and the sound of motors ( and the smell. Lets not forget that cars smell ) is the only thing i about living here. This would be a great place to live if it wasn't for the constant sound and smell of motors.
- cmrdporcupine 9y agoOh hell, I live rural, and it's just as bad. Constant industrial type noises from neighbour's skid steers, trucks, tractors, snowmobiles, quads, and dirt bikes.
- abecedarius 9y agoAmen. I’m hard of hearing, and traffic noise makes conversation impossible practically anywhere outside in any city. The idea that electric cars aren’t loud enough infuriates me.
- mac01021 9y ago> Imagine people doing gas-punk cosplay in a couple of decades. Like some of those "Mad Max" movies?
- Tade0 9y agoDieselpunk enjoys a pretty substantial following, but then again it's emulating a different era.
- cmrdporcupine 9y ago
- gadders 9y agoI wonder if there will need to be a replacement noise given to electric cars for safety reasons. Will they all have to make a fake broom-broom noise, or will some other noise be chosen? Maybe they'll be silent until they detect pedestrians or in built-up areas.
- PeterisP 9y agoIIRC many places already have a legal requirement for replacement noise for safety reasons, usually the criteria is that it must be active below a certain speed.
- squarefoot 9y ago"I'll probably feel slightly nostalgic about the sound and smell of fuel-burning cars someday" I don't know about the smell, but once people realize how dangerous is a car you can't hear coming, they will start adding some sound, and what's better than a traditional car sound? The sound will be easily faked using samples from well known engines played according to the current speed by transducers under the car. There will be probably a market for such addons and traditional auto makers could even patent their sound once they realize there is a market for their recordings. Allowing paid download in realtime of "today's hottest car sound" in seconds when you start the car in the morning could become a business, so that news like someone arrested for pirating the sound of a 911 Carrera could even become the norm one day:)
- Doxin 9y agoModern gas car engines are already pretty much inaudible over tire noise at slowish speeds. Electric cars don't make any less tire noise. People will manage without artificially adding sounds to electric vehicles.
- testestx 9y agoCar sounds are important for small children and animals in the street though.
- ju-st 9y agoThat's why many/most EVs have loudspeakers which make "electric car noises" below 20-30kmph. Above that the tire noise becomes dominant and there is no noise level difference between EV and ICE.
- Doxin 9y agoAnd as I've stated at those speeds tire noise is dominating the overal sound for most cars already.
- Cthulhu_ 9y agoAt speeds below tire noise, drivers should be very careful about those anyway. Plus modern cars have collision detection hard- and software too. Do electric cars have better braking performance?
- chrisper 9y ago>continuous, smooth acceleration becomes the norm, This was achieved with CVT (Continous Variable Transmission). I did not like to drive one, but it already exists. Also I currently have a car with 7 gear automatic transmission and the acceleration is pretty smooth. >lurchy, awkward automatic transmissions fade into distant memory. Again, newer automatic transmission aren't bad anymore.
- IndrekR 9y agoI drive a hybrid with CVT. After getting used to its smoothness driving with a "normal gearbox" feels really awkward.
- kozak 9y agoElectronic e-CVT (that hybrids like the Prius have) and mechanic push-belt CVT (non-hybrid) are completely different things mechanically.
- IndrekR 9y agoHonda hybrids have mechanical CVT. Except the new Accord, which has no gearbox and uses electric drivetrain for slow speeds and direct engine coupling for highway.
- twothamendment 9y agoI have a CVT in a Subaru and they decided to make it feel like a "normal" car by pretending to shift. I wish I could disable that. At lower RPMs it doesn't play that game.
- Tade0 9y agoI've test driven a Hyundai Ioniq which comes with a six speed automatic transmission and if it's a representative example then I guess it's still not "it" - at least in my view. There's a level of smoothness and instant response that I haven't seen in cars which are not directly propelled by an electric motor.
- skookumchuck 9y agoNobody cares about the sound of auto transes. But a 4-on-the-floor V8, that's another matter entirely. See the movie Bullitt for proof. I'll get an electric car like everyone else. But I dream about having a '68 Mustang :-)
- kasey_junk 9y agoBut performance cars are already using electronic sound generation in gas cars. Just do that for electrics too.
- skookumchuck 9y ago> But performance cars are already using electronic sound generation in gas cars. Not one I'd buy :-)
- kasey_junk 9y agoI’d take an M5...
- Cthulhu_ 9y agoA movie may not be an accurate representation of reality. But, point taken.
- skookumchuck 9y agoI've driven enough of those cars to know that movie was pretty accurate in how the cars sounded and drove. Such depictions are sadly extremely rare.
- audunw 9y ago> I'll probably feel slightly nostalgic about the sound and smell of fuel-burning cars someday, but it won't inform my buying choices in the slightest. The sound can be pleasing, but the smell? I always thought gasoline smells and exhaust fumes smell awful. Maybe it's because I never owned an ICE vehicle myself. Fueling a car is a very unpleasant experience to me. It's part of the reason why, after my last road-trip, my wife and I decided we would rather wait for the EV to charge (and grab some food, stretch legs, maybe even a short hike etc.) than to borrow or rent an ICE. To be fair though, the other reason is the ICE we usually borrow is stick shift, so the difference in comfort when driving is huge, especially on curvy roads (In addition to no gear shifting, EVs usually do a lot of regenerative breaking when releasing the gas pedal, so you don't have to use the break pedal as much. I really missed that). Some here have commented that the sound can be a safety feature. A lot of EVs/hybrids already have added that, but generally only at low speeds. Sometime it can be turned off, so if don't want to disrupt the neighbors, like late at night, you can turn disable it (since it's on by default, I'd think people would drive extra carefully if they turn it off).
- _greim_ 9y ago> but the smell? Yes! Well admittedly, I have somewhat of a redneck past. [cue Ben Fold's Five music.] Having grown up in small-town Midwest and worked on Farms the smell of gasoline is linked to lots of boyhood memories and male-bonding experiences :)