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I’ve had a pretty awful start to 2020, so I wanted to have some fun of my own. This is a little dreaming, a little escapism and some serious future contemplation.
Fake noises might be just what our streets need.
Not loud obnoxious noises that we get with gas guzzling combustion engines. These noises are for quiet electric vehicles. They can be melodious, funny and pleasant, but need to be recognizable for people who may be blind or can’t see through the eyes in the backs of their cyborg heads, when they have a lot of thick hair. ( Sorry that’s just me)
Below inset is an excerpt from The Verge about London electric buses trialling this in 2020. After all no one wants to get hit by a bus.
“London’s electric buses are getting fake noise, and it’s positively psychedelic
Some of London’s electric buses will play artificial noise while traveling at low speeds, and the specific sound that’s been created for them is an ambient treat for the ears, the base note is a soft F#maj7 chord, with a slight pulsing sound in the background “
I think Tesla is taking a different route, fart noises. Guess it makes sense for cars to have different sounds from buses.
Electric Vehicles : London bus_Tesla Roadster_Porsche Taycan_Tesla Model S
Since the future is electric which means quieter streets, maybe each different class of car will have a different sound so people can recognize what type of vehicle is coming their way.
For those of us who like the silence, we’ll just have to wear our noise cancelling ear buds when out in the street, while wearing our 360 ° eye-glasses with a camera discreetly engineered by a fashion designer into the back of our garments, feeding us a live view.
On a serious note, I am of the opinion that private autonomous ready vehicles are already integrating safety measures whereby the car has 360° vision and can see pedestrians even if the pedestrians can’t see them. However, electric vehicles that don’t currently have the advanced AI capacity, might genuinely need a pleasant but recognizable sound. I guess it’s always better to be safe until the Autonomous EV plot to rule the world is complete.
What sounds do you think should represent different categories or styles?
These have to stand the test of time. Once implemented, history proves; they tend to stick around well past their expiry date.
Now put your thinking caps on, this is serious stuff, the future noise in our streets depend on the decisions we make here in this decade. Future generations depend on our decisions.
London buses – psychedelic music. Tesla – one fart at a time. Personally, I think it should have a little classier sound for its general driving, as I consider the design to be very clean and streamlined. The fart noise is actually something the driver triggers whenever they choose to, it creates quite a stir amongst unsuspecting passengers, and I think they were teasing about giving it an outside speaker option.
Motorcycles – ? Mopeds – Boppy tune Big trucks -? Little trucks -? Sedans – ? Sports Cars – James Bond music, smooth elegance with a little edge to the beat. Police – I think they’ll toggle between cruising music, sirens and stealth mode. Taxis – Ubers – Mobility service – Cabs. – ? Ambulance – Help is on its way. – by LRB
I know…….. I’m ancient, you’ll have to pick the sound or music, as I probably wont be around to experience it anyway.
I’m sure you all have some suggestions.
The really big question is whether or not they can all sync in harmony !!
Maybe you want to associate certain models or manufacturers with a noise.
Porsche and Tesla currently have fully electric cars in production, so maybe we need to start with them.
I think they’ve already decided the theme sounds for Cybertruck, but you may be able to change their mind. Production for this is scheduled for late 2021 – early 2022 . ( Updated to 2023)
Volkswagon – I can’t get past the movie “Herbie Fully Loaded”. That’s why you’ll have to pick. ( Not electric back then, but definitely the precursor to Autonomous driving) .
Below. 2min Video trailer to wet your appetite.
2 min trailer to wet your appetite.
Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S and Roadster
The video below is from Sept 2019, it’s about both Tesla – Model S and Roadster and Porsche – Taycan by a YouTuber MKBHD.
I am a fan of both manufacturers and YouTuber, but I must admit I love the Tesla brand as it has led the charge for EVs and set the standard for those to follow.
MKBHD gives a very good comparison of 2 fully loaded electric cars currently in production; 15 years after Herbie.
He does point out that the specs in EV’s can change overnight especially with over the air updates in software, particularly with Tesla as they are more established in that area. So be sure to check their official websites for up to date information.
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