Ev Sound

You'll finally be able to hear hybrids and electric cars coming.

In a move to maker pedestrians safer, NHTSA finally intends to release its rules governing the sound from EVs and hybrids in November. They don't go into effect until 2018, though.

The NHTSA delays the final ruling of the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act, meaning it won't come into compliance until 2018. The move has upset the National Federation for the Blind, which has been lobbying for more than a decade for built-in automated alerts for EVs and hybrids moving at low speeds.

Ylvis, the fraternal comedic duo from Norway famous for not knowing what the fox says, certainly don't suffer similar bewilderment when it comes to electric car sounds. Much has been made of the silent attribute of electric vehicles at low speeds, and while some manufacturers have ap

Audi knows sound, and it wants its upcoming plug-in cars to have as distinctive a grumble as possible, just like its fossil-fuel-burning brethren. That's why Audi engineers are working on "new sound signatures" for future e-tron models. You can tell how seriously Audi is taking this by the way it references the sounds a car makes to music and "emotional sound structures" in the press release John Neff

Audi knows from sound, and it wants its upcoming plug-in cars to have as distinctive a grumble as possible, just like its fossil-fuel-burning brethren. That's why Audi engineers are working on "new sound signatures" for future e-tron models. You can tell how seriously Audi is taking this by the way it references the sounds a car makes to music and "emotional sound structures" in the press release Sebastian Blanco

Close your eyes and concentrate for a moment. Imagine that you're driving in a car, and over the course of the trip, you accelerate, travel at a specific speed and eventually stop. Done? Good. Now, what did it sound like?

Nissan Leaf EV sound - Click above for video after the jump

Nissan Leaf EV – Click above for high-res image gallery

Like to download new ring tones for your phone so that you don't sound like everybody else in the world that opts for the free cell phones from their chosen service provider? The same kind of thing is reportedly in the works for future electric cars.

Like to download new ringtones for your phone so that you don't sound like everybody else in the world that opts for the free cell phones from their chosen service provider? The same kind of thing is reportedly in the works for future electric cars.