The NHTSA wants automakers to give us the freedom to choose sounds to our liking, as recently reported in the article below.
Once fully implemented in cars like the Taycan, I'm sure there will be less "emotional" options along with some HIGHLY "emotional"... like GT2 RS emotional
The Feds Want You To Be Able To Pick The Fake Sounds Your Electric Car Will Make
The United States federal government wants you to have choices when it comes to your quiet electric cars. It’s requiring automakers to include artificial motor sounds in any of their quieter hybrid and electric cars—but you, the owner, will actually be able to select which particular sounds you prefer.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has written up this particular rule-making proposal on its website:
It’s been a pretty fraught proposal, though. Here’s some more background from Reuters:
Once fully implemented in cars like the Taycan, I'm sure there will be less "emotional" options along with some HIGHLY "emotional"... like GT2 RS emotional
The Feds Want You To Be Able To Pick The Fake Sounds Your Electric Car Will Make
The United States federal government wants you to have choices when it comes to your quiet electric cars. It’s requiring automakers to include artificial motor sounds in any of their quieter hybrid and electric cars—but you, the owner, will actually be able to select which particular sounds you prefer.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has written up this particular rule-making proposal on its website:
Basically, this rule is the result of the fact that EVs are just really damn quiet. While most people, especially blind and visually impaired pedestrians, rely on engine noises as a way to gauge a vehicle’s distance and speed. EVs don’t have engine noises, though. Rather than implement a single noise for everyone, NHTSA is requiring automakers to include a variety of noises so that drivers can select their own.
It’s been a pretty fraught proposal, though. Here’s some more background from Reuters:
As of today, there’s no cap on how many optional sounds an automaker can provide, which means these sounds could get pretty creative. These rules have to be implemented a year from now, by September 2020.