Traffic Noise

Interesting, albeit depressing, item on BBC News today.

It is asking the question, "What noise should electric and hydrogen cars make?"

I say "depressing" because I love the sound of the internal combustion engine and find it hard to comprehend a world in the future when the roads are dominated by a quiet humming noise. Having said that, I don't live next door to a major highway.

The article includes a video (which the BBC don't seem to encourage embedding any more) describing work done at Warwick University to find suitable artificial noises so that pedestrians don't get knocked over by electric cars.

They suggest, amongst other things, UFO-type effects.

I reckon it depends on the car. One of these......would require a gentle whooshing noise, or maybe some Brahms.

But most electric cars could make do with a milk-float whine.

Either that, or you record a seven year-old boy making engine noises, including gear-changes and screeching brakes and get the car's ECU to play the appropriate sounds at the right time. It works brilliantly for these electric cars...

There could also be a market for celebrity car noises like with Sat-Navs.

I'd pay good money for Brian Blessed car noises.