Electric, electric, electric. In many ways, once the electric car revolution really starts to affect our lives, very little about our motoring experience will actually change. You’ll still be using a steering wheel, brakes and an accelerator, you’ll still be well advised to carry a spare tyre and ensure your annual breakdown cover is up to date. But there’s one other aspect that’s going to be a big issue (aside from not having to use petrol anymore), and that’s the sound your vehicle makes.
Electric engines are almost entirely silent, which poses notable opportunities and risks. While we may not like the sound of engines on our roads and in our streets, they do at least warn us that traffic is nearby, keeping us safe. As the notion of a country of electric car users looks set to become a reality, scientists at the University of Warwick are conducting research into what kind of sounds can be made artificially, so pedestrians know when a car is approaching.
The University’s ‘Elvin’ vehicle has been trialling a wide range of different sounds, some of which are pretty off-the-wall. But there is a great opportunity to create an environment that is far more pleasant than it is now. In a decade or two the notion of roaring inner city traffic could be a thing of the past.
The truth is, electric cars can really sound like anything at all. Hopefully this doesn’t mean that we’ll have cars that sound like the Crazy Frog ringtone zooming around town; surely far worse that any combustion engine ever was. Personally, I think it’s a great opportunity to create a relaxing ambience in our busy towns and cities – without putting pedestrians at risk from oncoming traffic.
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