New requirement for Electric cars. Straw in the spoke.

I almost got run over by one backing out of parking space without looking a couple of days ago. They ARE quiet.

You don't want greenies to pay for their share of the roads? I sure do! Double! ...unless they're packing heat. ;-)

"Safety is our highest priority" ??????????? So why are the geniuses proposing a 54 mpg standard for vehicles?

Herding sheep is their highest priority.

I rode in a new Prius and it was surprising how high the road noise was.

Quiet outside, noisy inside ;)

Baseball cards.

Greg

HA! You beat me to this post, and mine happened just two days ago.

Jon

The busy little 4 cyl in a Prius is hardly silent from outside either

- unless you are talking road noise when in electric only mode.

My old electric Fiat was far from silent when accelerating from a dead stop either. AC motors are a bit quieter, but if the frequency of the switching is set "right" they can produce significant sound as well.

Guess they picked that number to keep the noise down in a 20 MPH school zone.

I believe the darn things should sound like the flying cars from "The Jetsons". ^_^

Get in an accident and they'll fold up like one.

So you think they should be allowed to use public property and not help pay for it?

Harry K

Sound deadening adds weight :)

The advocates of them insist they are fine for long distance driving. Yep if you want to ride a small crackerbox with limited amenities long distances.

Harry K

Don't you just love the sound of the Jetsons car? ^_^

TDD

Why insanity? They use the roads, wear them out just like the rest of us. They should pay their fair share to maintain them.

Always has been. Thus, when air bags were first put in cars, they were sold as an ALTERNATIVE safety measure for those who wouldn't buckle their seat belts.. Ooops.

-snip-

I agree-- and the start-up, and reverse sounds should be different, but one should be that 'meet George Jetson' riff.

Jim

Sort of reminds me of the old Western Electric company from the early days when they used to make vacuum cleaners. They had an excellent unit, that had more suction than the competition, but couldn't sell them. Why? They were too quiet and the users perceived them to not be as powerful as the noisy competition!

Per Metspitzer:

Riding my bike, I've been startled several times by cars passing me in electric mode. No close calls yet, but the hazard seems obvious.

I recall an interview with somebody about a deceased deaf person. The question arose "How did he die?". The answer was "The same way the vast majority of deaf people die: he was hit by a car.".

Rang true to me at the time, and now it's been re-enforced.