Electric and hydrogen fuel vehicles are virtually silent making their way down the road, whispering through lanes, and idling soundless at stop lights. All across the world this hushed vehicles are becoming increasingly dangerous for those not used to, well, watching where they walk. The manufactures have agreed that the lack of noise is an issue, as people who are crossing streets may not hear the vehicles approaching as they stop out onto the road and risk injury. The true risk is to those who are blind, as seeing eye dogs are sometimes trained to listen to the sound of vehicles as an indication of when it’s safe to cross the road.

The solution, add noise, by way of speakers. The question, what kind of noise? In the UK, engineers insist that regulations as to what sound these now silent vehicles will emit. Should they all sound like the traditional combustion engine, or should they be free to have creativity?

A manufacturer may not want their economy priced vehicle to make the same sounds as their luxury or sport models. Part of the joy of the combustion engine is hearing it rev, and commenting on the power it must have by the purr it makes at idle.

Brands like Flowmaster sell muffler replacements that alter the sound and performance of many gas cars and trucks, making them loud, and at times beyond the decibel level allowed. If regulation isn’t implicated, aftermarket accessories for electric vehicles may soon include music bytes, to personal statements and other possible offensive themes. In some areas in the US you can get a ticket for having your stereo up to loud, and yet now they are trying to outside the outside of vehicles with speakers for the sole purpose of making noise.

Warwick University has created a computer program that will put together a multitude of futuristic and transportation related sounds to see how they will mesh together in the urban environment. Their results, which will be available in the EU later this year may determine the future of traffic noise.

Some owners argue that their soundless cars are not a problem, and object to the idea of outfitting them with speakers. Even owners of gas powered vehicles argue that their cars are just as quite as an electric car, and wonder if they will eventually have to be outfitted in speakers too. There are also those who argue for the speakers to be an addition warn that sometimes the only indication that a vehicle is coming towards them is the sound of the vehicle.

When vehicles were first introduced to the world, horseless carriages, the same concern was felt by pedestrians. The clunking of the hooves on the cobblestone were very loud compared to the new vehicles puttering down the roads. They feared that they would not be able to hear the approaching vehicles and soon after the introduction, a law was passed that required vehicles to actually be led by someone walking and waving a red flag. Yes, a pedestrian leading a vehicle waving a flag, the law was repealed in 1896. During the flag waving in the UK, an Ocean away in the United States similar laws were passed but were quickly nullified.

In the coming years, with the increasing demand and government push towards fossil fuel alternatives it’s possible that the demand for vehicle noise will follow the same path and be ousted soon after they are implemented. If they do stick, years from now, we can tell our grandchildren that we “remember when” the roads were silent and not a hodgepodge of vehicles competing for noise originality.

Author Bio: Anne Thurgar is a staff writer for CyberLead, inc http://cyberleadinc.com specializing in auto sales leads http://www.carcredit.com delivering quality car loans for ten years http://www.carapproval.com The webs best Bad Credit Auto Loans

Category: Automotive
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