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You would think this would be a huge incentive for car manufacturers to speed up the deployment of EV’s. It sucks. I’m a car guy, I like things that go vroom,

You would think this would be a huge incentive for car manufacturers to speed up the deployment of EV’s. It sucks. I’m a car guy, I like things that go vroom, but when everyone is revving their engines and capping their RPM’s like it’s Need For Speed, I’ve turned into my father (keep it down!). I recently spent some time in Stuttgart in an area dominated by EV’s, and lots of them. You know what I did’t hear? Them. I’m a fan of Tesla. I like that more car companies are getting on board with EV’s. I don’t like being stalked by one. They need a little bell or some sort of noise so I know they are coming. Even if it’s just an electric engine whine. Give me something more than just rubber tires over asphalt. If a city were to enact an EV only policy, noise pollution would probably plummet.

Gigachad 4y ago
I don't think EVs are required here. The vast majority of new ICE cars are reasonably quiet. The problem is almost 100% related to motorbikes and modified cars.
jakear 4y ago
The only vehicle sound I notice day to day is the god awful reversing drone of my neighbors Tesla backing into their driveway. I believe this sound was specifically engineered to be as repulsive as possible. Give me a rumbling (muffled) V8 over that any day of the week.
- esses 4y ago
  I own 2 (muffled) V8s and a Tesla. I have only ever been mocked for the Tesla reverse drone.
patrickk 4y ago
> I don’t like being stalked by one. They need a little bell or some sort of noise so I know they are coming. Even if it’s just an electric engine whine. Give me something more than just rubber tires over asphalt. In the EU at least there’s already a regulation for this: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/news/electric-and-hybrid-cars-new-rules-noise-emitting-protect-vulnerable-road-users-2019-07-03_en https://ec.europa.eu/growth/news/electric-and-hybrid-cars-ne... EVs emit a sort of musical tone at lower speeds. Although in practice it’s still not noticed by pedestrians. It must be a tough balance to get right, noise pollution on the one hand, pedestrian safety on the other.
jillesvangurp 4y ago
That's starting to happen in different parts of the world. Probably Oslo is a bit ahead of the curve here. Sales of ice vehicles are ending there in 2025 and already less than 20% of overall vehicle sales in Norway. Of course as a city it is a bit provincial compared to bigger cities elsewhere in the world. Amsterdam is not far behind with electrifying vehicles or outright banning them from the city. Much of the Netherlands is easily reached on a single charge. People moan about battery range regardless. But it's a bit like complaining about the weather. They vote with their wallets in the end. A lot of leased cars for business use are already electric. The value proposition for the leasing companies is just better. And the companies that pay them like being green. It's not really a choice anymore. Privately owned vehicles is a different matter. Mostly these are second hand vehicles and there just aren't a whole lot of second hand EVs yet. In much of western Europe, it's no longer a given that you will even be able to drive ICE vehicles into cities. Restrictions are coming. And even if it is allowed now, it's not certain to stay that way. People are starting to factor that into their purchasing behavior. Another thing is the second hand value of ice vehicles. What's the value of a second hand ICE car going to be in five years when they will be banned from a growing number of areas? China is an interesting case. It has hundreds of electrical car companies and mostly they serve the domestic market. Owning and buying ice vehicles there requires permission, which is a lengthy process to get. A few of the bigger manufacturers are starting to become export to Europe and the US this year. Tesla is nice and a clear leader (even in China), but xpeng, nio, and others are not far behind in terms of quality, volume production, etc. And they are coming to foreign markets. Right now EVs are mostly expensive luxury vehicles. However, there are very few technical limitations that prevent the creation of a 10K$ EV. China has a few on the road. Cheaper than that even; below 5K$ even. Mostly this is just a function of limited battery supply and insatiable demand at the high end. Why sell a 5K$ vehicle when you can sell a 50K$ one? It's like printing money. Not a choice really. Manufacturers will go for the big luxury cars every time. This will change rapidly as more production capacity comes online and the high end market gets saturated.

Gigachad 4y ago

I don't think EVs are required here. The vast majority of new ICE cars are reasonably quiet. The problem is almost 100% related to motorbikes and modified cars.

jakear 4y ago

The only vehicle sound I notice day to day is the god awful reversing drone of my neighbors Tesla backing into their driveway. I believe this sound was specifically engineered to be as repulsive as possible. Give me a rumbling (muffled) V8 over that any day of the week.

esses 4y ago
I own 2 (muffled) V8s and a Tesla. I have only ever been mocked for the Tesla reverse drone.

patrickk 4y ago

> I don’t like being stalked by one. They need a little bell or some sort of noise so I know they are coming. Even if it’s just an electric engine whine. Give me something more than just rubber tires over asphalt. In the EU at least there’s already a regulation for this: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/news/electric-and-hybrid-cars-new-rules-noise-emitting-protect-vulnerable-road-users-2019-07-03_en https://ec.europa.eu/growth/news/electric-and-hybrid-cars-ne... EVs emit a sort of musical tone at lower speeds. Although in practice it’s still not noticed by pedestrians. It must be a tough balance to get right, noise pollution on the one hand, pedestrian safety on the other.

jillesvangurp 4y ago

That's starting to happen in different parts of the world. Probably Oslo is a bit ahead of the curve here. Sales of ice vehicles are ending there in 2025 and already less than 20% of overall vehicle sales in Norway. Of course as a city it is a bit provincial compared to bigger cities elsewhere in the world. Amsterdam is not far behind with electrifying vehicles or outright banning them from the city. Much of the Netherlands is easily reached on a single charge. People moan about battery range regardless. But it's a bit like complaining about the weather. They vote with their wallets in the end. A lot of leased cars for business use are already electric. The value proposition for the leasing companies is just better. And the companies that pay them like being green. It's not really a choice anymore. Privately owned vehicles is a different matter. Mostly these are second hand vehicles and there just aren't a whole lot of second hand EVs yet. In much of western Europe, it's no longer a given that you will even be able to drive ICE vehicles into cities. Restrictions are coming. And even if it is allowed now, it's not certain to stay that way. People are starting to factor that into their purchasing behavior. Another thing is the second hand value of ice vehicles. What's the value of a second hand ICE car going to be in five years when they will be banned from a growing number of areas? China is an interesting case. It has hundreds of electrical car companies and mostly they serve the domestic market. Owning and buying ice vehicles there requires permission, which is a lengthy process to get. A few of the bigger manufacturers are starting to become export to Europe and the US this year. Tesla is nice and a clear leader (even in China), but xpeng, nio, and others are not far behind in terms of quality, volume production, etc. And they are coming to foreign markets. Right now EVs are mostly expensive luxury vehicles. However, there are very few technical limitations that prevent the creation of a 10K$ EV. China has a few on the road. Cheaper than that even; below 5K$ even. Mostly this is just a function of limited battery supply and insatiable demand at the high end. Why sell a 5K$ vehicle when you can sell a 50K$ one? It's like printing money. Not a choice really. Manufacturers will go for the big luxury cars every time. This will change rapidly as more production capacity comes online and the high end market gets saturated.