Hybrids: Let’s Make Them Louder!

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One of the added benefits of driving a hybrid automobile is the low noise level experienced, particularly at low speeds when only the electric motor (instead of the internal combustion engine) is engaged. I rented a new Toyota Prius a few months back. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

A brief word about me: I like quiet. I moved two counties away from my job, into the mountains, because I am tired of hearing helicopters, jets, sirens, traffic, horns, shouting people. When I eat dinner in a restaurant I detest your shrieking or crying baby. I want you to shut the hell up in the theatre. I’ve had it up to here with loud people in public or on their cell phones.

Quiet good. Loud bad.

So now, considering that a hybrid vehicle is quiet, well, wait; apparently they’re too quiet for blind people.

What the hell?

And more: there’s a push to make hybrid cars louder:

The recently introduced Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 proposes a two-year study determining the most practical way for hybrid and electrical vehicles – cars that are functionally silent at slow speeds – to provide non-visual cues for pedestrians. The solution will likely establish a minimal sound level for these cars. The automotive industry will then have two years to incorporate this change into new vehicles.

Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong says he wasn’t aware of the issue and believes that the responsibility lies with drivers and pedestrians to watch out for each other. Mr. Kwong adds, “One of the benefits of the vehicles is that they don’t contribute to traffic noise.”

I’m with Kwong. This is just plain stupid. To blind people agreeing with this issue: just shut the hell up. Try teaching your dogs about cars in general. This entire world wasn’t designed for you, and I am getting so damned tired of having the very few rule the very many.

BZ
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12 thoughts on “Hybrids: Let’s Make Them Louder!”

  4. So I gather you wouldn’t appreciate me driving by your house in my Hemi Cuda all blown, injected, and burning nitro at 11 pm… LOL

    I wonder if those deer things you stick on cars could be heard by deaf people… or maybe a transmitter in their cane, with a speaker on your car that automagically yells “GET THE HELL OUTTA THE WAY” when it gets in range … nope… neither would work… someone would complain…

    You do know their all gonna keep going until cars are banned, and the tires recycled into tennis shoes…. Sheeeeeeesh

  5. Hmm, I never really thought much about stuff The Gore ended up producing, but this “sounds” good, I like quiet too, might consider a hybrid when I grow up.

  6. another thing about them. they do not lack in power either. i was very impressed with the one i rented.

    as for quiet and the blind, bikes are quiet also. do the blind have any problems with bikes running into them?

  7. Shoprat: usually the internal combustion engine shuts down as you draw to a stop. But that does not always occur; sometimes you may not have much of a charge available to completely power the electric motors and the gas engine still runs. They CAN be very quiet as you slowly creep towards an intersection, but should you floor it, for example, the gas engine immediately wicks up.

    Griper: excellent point!

    BZ

  10. You’d have to ask BAE Systems, Mr. Z…. and possibly the US Army. There just might be something of a problem getting one stock as the Army has the production line for the next few years.

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