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Cont: Electric Vehicles II

I think they've been using electric vans for a long time. Didn't we have a naysayer here who claimed that it had been a disaster and they were selling them all and going back to diesel, and it turned out they were selling off a bunch of older vans to replace them with newer, better electric models?
 
I see the electric Amazon vans all the time when I drove around town, but they usually don't use them to deliver to our area which is more rural. When they deliver to our neighbor, the truck backs a long way a long way to get out of their gated driveway, quacking the whole time.

And typing that right now led me to some Googling to find out why Amazon vans quack. One of my favorite YouTubers offers the answer:


White noise is better because it is easier for you to figure out where it is originating from.


Walmart is also using electric vans for home delivery around here. But, again in our more rural area outside of town most of our deliveries are made by "gig job" drivers in their private vehicles.
 
As far as I know EVs are supposed to give off a kind of noise when moving slowly, to warn pedestrians (in my car it is called "pedestrian horn"). But I encounter many EVs that make no noise at all. Has the noise been removed by the manufacturer, or by the driver, and why?
 
steenkh said:
As far as I know EVs are supposed to give off a kind of noise when moving slowly, to warn pedestrians (in my car it is called "pedestrian horn"). But I encounter many EVs that make no noise at all. Has the noise been removed by the manufacturer, or by the driver, and why?
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It's a fairly recent requirement here, in the UK, so older models may be silent. My '21 car has a blanked out switch which on earlier models allowed you to turn the low-speed sound off.
 
My brother is having more drama with his 2018 Tesla Model 3. Things were fine until several months ago. He had an issue with the cabin heater disabling the 12 volt system that bricked the car. About $1000 to repair; $5200 total for other repairs (coolant leak, wiring) that would eventually disable the car.

Several days ago the car would not start; once again it is towed 140 miles to the repair facility in Rogers, MN. We go get it today. I dropped him off and started the drive home. I get 20 miles away then he texts me to say that the car broke again, WTF?

On the way back to get him, he says he got a loaner car, so I go home. He does not know if they just failed to fix it or if it broke again while sitting in their parking lot. The loaner came with free super charging, he charged it to 80% in Hinckley on the way home. :)
 
steenkh said:
As far as I know EVs are supposed to give off a kind of noise when moving slowly, to warn pedestrians (in my car it is called "pedestrian horn"). But I encounter many EVs that make no noise at all. Has the noise been removed by the manufacturer, or by the driver, and why?
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My wife's 2026 Corolla hybrid makes a whining sound when in EV mode at 22 mph or slower. It is annoying when it can be heard over the noise of the tires. :)
 
Ranb said:
My wife's 2026 Corolla hybrid makes a whining sound when in EV mode at 22 mph or slower. It is annoying when it can be heard over the noise of the tires. :)
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22 mph, that's 35 km! Why on Earth are they making noise at that speed? My Renault Scénic E-tech starts making a low sound at 20 kmh (12 mph) that increases in volume the slower you go.
 
Ranb said:
My wife's 2026 Corolla hybrid makes a whining sound when in EV mode at 22 mph or slower. It is annoying when it can be heard over the noise of the tires. :)
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That noise is added so the car can be heard. Electric motors are so quiet that they pose a hazard. Particularly to the blind.
 
Most of the electric cars around here recently have made a noise in slow maneuvers. It's an odd noise, which to me sounds to like a malfunction, something metallic rubbing when it shouldn't, maybe a bad pulley or a moribund water pump. It's actually a pretty clever sound, because it's hard to ignore.
 
bruto said:
Most of the electric cars around here recently have made a noise in slow maneuvers. It's an odd noise, which to me sounds to like a malfunction, something metallic rubbing when it shouldn't, maybe a bad pulley or a moribund water pump. It's actually a pretty clever sound, because it's hard to ignore.
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At higher speeds; tire friction and wind resistance create enough natural sound for pedestrians to hear a vehicle coming.

However, at low speeds or when backing out of a driveway, electric and hybrid cars are dangerously quiet.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and global safety regulators mandate that these vehicles use an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS).How It WorksSpeed Trigger: The artificial sound automatically activates at low speeds (usually under 19 mph) and disengages once you drive faster: Backing up requires extra caution in places like parking lots, vehicles emit a distinct tone (often sounding like a low whir, a hum, or even a futuristic spaceship) to alert anyone walking behind the car.
 
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bruto said:
Most of the electric cars around here recently have made a noise in slow maneuvers. It's an odd noise, which to me sounds to like a malfunction, something metallic rubbing when it shouldn't, maybe a bad pulley or a moribund water pump. It's actually a pretty clever sound, because it's hard to ignore.
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My Renault has the futuristic spaceship sound that @acbytesla mentions. It is composed by Jean-Michel Jarre, and it is really quite pleasing. I believe it works for pedestrians too, even though it is isn't attracting attention the way a shrill motor sound would do.

You can tell the car maker by these sounds..
 
zooterkin said:
It's a fairly recent requirement here, in the UK, so older models may be silent. My '21 car has a blanked out switch which on earlier models allowed you to turn the low-speed sound off.
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That is interesting. In my car from 2024 the sound can still be switched off.
 
My car makes an 'oobely woobely' sound that some owners call: "The Cylon Sound".

Unfortunately, it only makes that noise while moving.

This means that the car can start moving, with no warning.

The noisemaker can also be turned off by a switch on the dashboard.

Friends have suggested that the 'no sound before moving' is dangerous, and have suggested that I fit a bell, like the local trams, that I could ding before I leave.

(I can see their thinking, the car really does sound like one of the trams.)

I kind of like the idea of making a 'ding-ding' 'ding-ding' sound before pulling away, it would probably get a few laughs.

:)
 
Not much working properly on v2g bundle. Octopus can't control the charging, and the grid company haven't issued a licence for the car to put energy back. Charging like all the other evs we've had
 
Even though our newer EV has an "Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System" (AVAS), it is still quite easy to sneak up on and surprise pedestrians in parking lots. While it is amusing to see the "deer in headlights" expressions on their faces when they suddenly realize a car is driving behind or beside them, I do try to be extra careful when driving near people.

And, I wish I could change my car's sound to the theme from Jaws.
 
Rolfe said:
I believe Tesla drivers can choose the sound. Fancy a farting car, anyone?
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Though Teslas have a “Boom Box” feature, which allows sounds to be played externally, I don’t think it’s possible to change the pedestrian alert sound.

In my Tesla, I can best describe the sound as a pleasant “angelic chorus”. The only time I’m aware of it as a driver is with a window down and creeping along with a reflective surface alongside, which is fairly rare.
 
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