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Low Speed External Sounds
With how quiet the car is, will it need to generate artificial sounds to let pedestrians know it’s there? Not sure if there’s any requirement for that but thinking for blind pedestrians or similar use case.
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59 Replies
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Low Speed External Sounds
updated 2 months, 2 weeks ago
42 Members
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59
Replies
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Some jurisdictions require by law that EVs generate these sounds. Aptera will have the capability to comply with the law and also be a factor in having a safe car for pedestrians as well as occupants. Aptera will look out for everyone!
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In the US it’s actually a Federal requirement that all EVs and Hybrids produce some level of warning sound up to 30 kph/18.6 mph: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/02/26/2018-03721/federal-motor-vehicle-safety-standard-no-141-minimum-sound-requirements-for-hybrid-and-electric
I work with a number of visually-impaired individuals and they’ve explained that what they hear from motor vehicles is, first and foremost, tire noise. With ICE vehicles the majority of engine noise is emitted from the rear of the vehicle, as exhaust: My VI friends say that they can tell if a car is ICE or EV only as it passes.
Plus, as all ICEs make more-or-less the same sound, people can identify that sound as “engine noise”. With every EV making its own synthesized sound – and all of those sounds being different – it will be difficult for people to determine just what they’re hearing.
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When the SOL passed me “at a hi speed (mph not known) the in-wheel motors made a winding sound outside/around the vehicle. Granted this is just an alpha vehicle and the front aero covers were not on so the front wheel cover are open…. We shall hear/see…..end of 2021 where we on on this one!
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Yes, it’s a legal requirement in the US. Here’s what my Niro EV does. It has a speaker in the front bumper.
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This is the AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alert Sound) of my Honda Clarity pulling into and out of the garage. The only place you can really hear it is when it’s indoors – and it cuts out at 12 mph. The 2020 models, though, have the same sound only significantly louder – and it plays until the regulation speed of 18.6 mph (30 kph) is reached. https://youtu.be/2kdb3D29Wmc
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For the low speed sound I’d like them to use the day The Day The Earth Stood Still
I can’t think of a more appropriate sound for this car.
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I am still pulling for the sound of the air-cars from the Jetsons cartoon.
I have long wondered what the actual source was for the foley for that.
You could stay with the theme and, when something doesn’t work correctly or, god forbid, you get in an accident, hear Astro say, “Rah-roh”.
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Drum beat solo from In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida. Original extended version not the short commercial one.
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Can we pick our own low speed sound?
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I made a recording for my husband’s phone where I say “Pick up the phone. It’s your wife calling. Honey, pick up the phone. Pick up the phone. I love you. Pick up the phone, honey.” The dentist office was laughing a lot when it went off during his cleaning, but he hears it better than the ring tones. For the Aptera, I think I’d do something along the lines of “Coming through. Excuse me. Head’s up people. Coming through. Pay attention. Here I come. What are you looking at? Excuse me. Coming by…” because people hear voices better than car noises. On the other hand, I’d kind of like a really loud train whistle for a horn. Or a submarine dive alarm. Or a cruise ship horn. Maybe change them out depending on how I feel that day?
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I’m afraid that there are restrictive laws and regulations governing this so maybe not. On the other hand, since it is a software issue, there may be some wiggle room that might – just might allow some post delivery “hacking” where owner/operators can change the sound (at their own risk). That’s all largely beyond my ken, but we can dream and petition for it.
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The only regulatory requirement in the US seems to be speed: Quiet vehicles must generate a continuous pedestrian-warning sound up to a speed of 30 kph (18.6 mph). The language doesn’t specify a decibel level – only that the sound be loud enough but not excessively loud.
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I am going to use Blue Oyster Cult’s Godzilla.
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i was thinking what a freepiston flat 12, 6 or 4 or would sound like… max fuel per combustion chamber all the time, only “RPM” sound changes, so its much more linear acorss pedal range. multiple moudles of 2 combustion chambers of combustion timing can make it sound more harmonious rather than the basic 2 stroke combustion pattern.
if turbine finished the burn clearner burn and another way to generate eletricty, there would be that jet sound kind of like pressure building up in pipe of 2021 porsche gt3,which most people will not like it b/c its not 1:1 relationship with pedal range at least as expoential relationship if not linear, but it can be ok if quieted and kept more linear under pressure, and loudness is kept less than the piston sound.
ford voodoo v8 , gma t50, carrera v10 , connnaught x20 ,lexus LFA or lc500
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I don’t see why we couldn’t have a choice but mine would be the Jetsons vehicle sound, with the frequency adjusted to the speed just like on the show.
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Aptera probably wont be able to make the low speed sound completely customizeable since there are regulatory requirements that needs to be met. The requirement for low speed sound is there to make pedestrians aware that a vehicle is approaching after all. They should be able to make a selection of sounds to choose from though if there is enough demand for customization.
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Legally Aptera will be limited however an individual can customize the sound and even unplug the speaker to keep the car completely silent. There is only an issue if there is an accident that is directly the fault of the owner modifying the car. The tesla model 3 also has a speaker and has about a dozen built in soundtracks and the ability to upload your own personal audio.
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Definitely thinking Ride of the Valkyries…
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My votes:
(1) Keyboard solo (with drums at the end) from The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again (from ~6:34 to ~7:45)
(2) Opening to Jethro Tull’s Locomotive Breath; the first 1 min 20 sec
(3) Or for something a bit different: Adriano Celentano’s Prisencolinensinainciusol
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Factory sound effects from Charlie and the Chocolate factory.
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I know many EV purists will disagree but I like the idea of simulating the sound of a Harley or muscle car. Especially with 3.5 second acceleration it just seems like it would be fun off the line to get some retro throwback. The entire idea is to make noise and I really don’t think anyone has ever considered oldschool ICE muscle vehicles as quiet.
PS: Apparently the Dodgy Hellcat is being replaced with an EV since they have reached the practical limits of ICE performance.
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I think the Pink Panther Theme, or maybe Baby Elephant walk would be fun
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I would like to have the sound of a horse pulling a cart.
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I Vote for Steam Engine, “Big Boy” (or “Flying Scotsman”)Leaving the Station, (Would be a small file) Hack the Software, Tie it to road speed and Ambient Outside Noise. Make it available at all speeds if Ya Want. What Wonderful Sound to use as You pass someone on the Freeway!
An Alternate Fun Sound for me would be a Great Big “Hit and Miss” Flyball-Governed Engine: POW! puff, puff, puff – POW! puff, POW! puff, – POW! POW! POW! – as You gathered Speed!
Oh Yeah, also Include the “Lonesome Wail of a Steam Train Whistle” For the Horn. 130 dB Should do it! <Grin>
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I really like the sound the Kia and Hyundai EVs make. The beeping in reverse is annoying though.
I also like the sound Teslas and Honda PHEVs make in reverse. Basically the same sound.
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Many good ideas for low speed sounds. The Jetson’s flying car is my favorite, but a horse walking on pavement, a steam train (with automatic switchover for horn to sound like a steam train whistle), the sound of playing cards clicking against bicycle spokes, an idling jet fighter, or helicopter all sound like viable choices. I think that the best option would be to just allow the owner to program their own choice via a microSD card. It would relieve Aptera from the possible copyright lawsuits if the user programmed the sounds.
I can imagine the disappointment of the children in the neighborhood, if I programmed my Aptera to play the same crappy sound that the ice cream truck plays driving down the street. 😎
I have a little device called a Soundracer, that plugs into the cigarette lighter and it can detect engine speed based on little spikes in the DC power caused by the alternator. It then transmits the sound of a big block muscle car engine (or a screaming F1 engine) to an unused FM radio frequency so you can crank up the volume and sound like a 69 Chevelle or something similar. The sounds increased in speed along with the engine speed, even going through the gears. It worked great in my Smart Car.
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Does anyone actually know if Aptera will need a outside sound? Being an autocycle the rule might not apply.
As to having fun with it unfortunately NHTSA kinda killed that idea when they made Tesla recall boombox mode… I like the idea of simulating a loud engine just to mess with people but alas no dice on that.
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Pedestrians will ignore it just as they do now. I first put a beeper in parallel with one of the reverse lights and it was ignored. I then installed a Wolo BA-70 that says “Attention please! This Car Is Backing Up!” They STILL ignore it! Too bad I can’t change it to say “Get your fat ass out of the way!”
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This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by
Dennis Swaney.
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This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by
Gabriel Kemeny.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by
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Of course, you can never go wrong with the playing card in the spoke trick.
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Honestly I prefer no sound. But if I had to choose.
Old school – Nausicaä’s Insect Charm Sound
