The first time I started an electric car, I wondered the same thing everyone else wonders their first time: Is it on? Did it start or stall out? It’s so quiet!
Near-silent electric vehicles have been decried by advocates of pedestrian safety, and although there’s no data to suggest electric cars pose any greater threat to pedestrians than their louder, fossil-fueled counterparts, automakers have been pondering the issue for years.
One potential solution? Get Hollywood special effects sound artists involved. Using some of the same technology that creates downloadable, personalized ring-tones for your cell phone, teams of sound effects engineers are reportedly working on drive-tones for electric vehicles by BMW, Fisker, and Nissan. What might these drive-tones, or “car-tones” sound like? Henrik Fisker, founder of Fisker Automotive, says his Karma will sound like “a cross between a starship and a Formula One car.”
But the possibilities are endless, aren’t they? I know I’d prefer the theme song to any number of 1980’s TV series… perhaps Magnum P.I. or The A-Team or Miami Vice?
Source: The New York Times
