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AuthenticM · Aug 23, 2017

By "city noise" I mean the overall noise you hear while you're in the city. Compare that to when you are in the middle of the countryside and everything is silent and peaceful. That noise.

I'm guessing most (if not all) of that noise is emanating from cars, right? More specifically, from their engines. One thing I've noticed about electric cars is that they generate much less noise than regular cars, and the kind of noise they make also seem like it would travel less far. So I was thinking about this eventual future where every car is electric, and then wondered how different the city noise would sound like. For example, as I am typing this, the window of my apartment is open and I can hear cars outside. Some passing in front of my building, and some general background noise from cars farther away. How different would it sound if all these cars were electric?

My girlfriend said while the volume of noise would be probably be lower, there would still be a sizeable amount as engines of electric cars still make noise, but also because in this general noise we hear, is also factored the sound made by the contact of tires and the asphalt, and also the air being displaced by the car.

danowat · Aug 23, 2017

They'll be a lot more people getting knocked over, if the amount of people who walk out on my when my car is in full EV mode is anything to go by.

But yeah, it'll be quieter, you also get less brake noise on electric vehicles..

Angelus Errare · Aug 23, 2017

Most electric cars' noises are fake and are added so that pedestrians know there's a car behind them. So I imagine manufacturers will continue adding the sounds to their cars thus nothing will really change.

strafer · Aug 23, 2017

There will still be sirens and honking in New York City.

Krakatoa · Aug 23, 2017

danowat said:
They'll be a lot more people getting knocked over.

maybe not if they are automated cars

PJV3 · Aug 23, 2017

Every car will have to make the noise of an ice-cream van to avoid accidents.

BGBW · Aug 23, 2017

You'll hear the ice cream van jingle from the other side of town.

danowat · Aug 23, 2017

Angelus Errare said:
Most electric cars' noises are fake and are added so that pedestrians know there's a car behind them. So I imagine manufacturers will continue adding the sounds to their cars thus nothing will really change.

I wonder if this is only a thing in certain countries.

smoothj · Aug 23, 2017

Reading this while also listening to the freeway outside. It's a mixture of both. I can hear engines but also that swoosh of tires on road and air being displaced. I think sound would definitely go down but the tires on the road is what you mostly hear id say.

Auctopus · Aug 23, 2017

strafer said:
There will still be sirens and honking in New York City.

I'm trying to imagine NYC with just honking without the accompanying revving of engines and hydraulic brakes - it actually feels more annoying.

Litan · Aug 23, 2017

danowat said:
They'll be a lot more people getting knocked over, if the amount of people who walk out on my when my car is in full EV mode is anything to go by.

But yeah, it'll be quieter, you also get less brake noise on electric vehicles..

Angelus Errare said:
Most electric cars' noises are fake and are added so that pedestrians know there's a car behind them. So I imagine manufacturers will continue adding the sounds to their cars thus nothing will really change.

Once self-driving cars become the majority of vehicles on the road, that will no longer be neccessary.

danowat · Aug 23, 2017

Litan said:
Once self-driving cars become the majority of vehicles in the road, that will not longer be neccessary.

Hopefully that will be soon, I hate bloody driving.

Wilsongt · Aug 23, 2017

Jackasses will still honk.

Dougald · Aug 23, 2017

smoothj said:
Reading this while also listening to the freeway outside. It's a mixture of both. I can hear engines but also that swoosh of tires on road and air being displaced. I think sound would definitely go down but the tires on the road is what you mostly hear id say.

I agree, I live right near a motorway and I'd say 99% of the noise I hear is tyre noise, the other 1% being illegal exhausts and poorly-maintained Diesel engines

MarionCB · Aug 23, 2017

I really hope they stop adding noise to the electric cars. Noise pollution from car engines is pretty extreme and I can't wait for it to kindly fuck off. It's worse for me because I live in a busy area at the top of a hill, so it's quite loud all the time.

Pharaun · Aug 23, 2017

strafer said:
There will still be sirens and honking in New York City.

You'll probably have more people yelling "Hey asshole, I'm walking here!" due to the close encounters of the EV kind. So there's that to look forward to.

Kai Dracon · Aug 23, 2017

It will take a while, but eventually people will look at footage of 20th century cities full of smelly, noisy cars in the same vein as 19th century cities full of horses and the smell of horse offal - it will be hard to imagine how people could stand to live like that.

danowat · Aug 23, 2017

MarionCB said:
I really hope they stop adding noise to the electric cars. Noise pollution from car engines is pretty extreme and I can't wait for it to kindly fuck off. It's worse for me because I live in a busy area at the top of a hill, so it's quite loud all the time.

What noise do they add?, is this in the US?, no added noises in the UK.

MarionCB · Aug 23, 2017

danowat said:
What noise do they add?, is this in the US?, no added noises in the UK.

Well, I'm not sure they do here in Australia. People say that. In any case, I hope they don't do it. Hearing an electric car glide slightly off the other week at a carpark was a beautiful lack of sound.

Malyse · Aug 23, 2017

Slightly off topic, but the first time I drove an electric vehicle was in the dead of night on a naval flightline. It freaked me the hell out how quiet it was.

Chuckie · Aug 23, 2017

danowat said:
What noise do they add?, is this in the US?, no added noises in the UK.

It is European law, because it is dangerous af for pedestrians and bikers if they can't hear the car that makes almost no noise at low speeds.

Edit: It is called Acoustic Vehicle Alerting systems

hobozero · Aug 23, 2017

Once there are self driving cars everywhere that always stop before hitting a pedestrian, do you think people will just ignore crosswalks and start crossing wherever, whenever? I mean, if you know the car is gonna stop, fuck it, right: Just step out.

danowat · Aug 23, 2017

Tence said:
It is European law, because it is dangerous af for pedestrians and bikers if they can't hear the car that makes almost no noise at low speeds.

Edit: It is called Acoustic Vehicle Alerting systems

Ahh, so it's not mandatory yet.

The European Parliament approved legislation that requires the mandatory use of "Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems" for all new electric and hybrid electric vehicles within 5 years after publication of the final approval of the April 2014 proposal to comply with the regulation.

Red Liquorice · Aug 23, 2017

We'll probably all be microchipped by then and we'll get a little advert in our ears for health insurance when you walk too close to a busy road.

Half joking.

Dishwalla · Aug 23, 2017

Presume electric cars will still have steroes that I can blare Zeppelin from. There will never be a time where you can't hear Robert Plant's dulcet tones disrupting the peace.

Spiritual_Chaos · Aug 23, 2017

hobozero said:
Once there are self driving cars everywhere that always stop before hitting a pedestrian, do you think people will just ignore crosswalks and start crossing wherever, whenever? I mean, if you know the car is gonna stop, fuck it, right: Just step out.

I work at a company where they work with these kinds of questions. Like how vehicles will communicate with pedestrians in the future.

Here is one concept they have:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INqWGr4dfnU

Darkwater · Aug 23, 2017

Tence said:
It is European law, because it is dangerous af for pedestrians and bikers if they can't hear the car that makes almost no noise at low speeds.

Edit: It is called Acoustic Vehicle Alerting systems

I live in The Netherlands and so far, electric delivery scooters are still a real hazard, so it must not yet be actual law here, I think.

Chuckie · Aug 23, 2017

Darkwater said:
I live in The Netherlands and up 'till now, electric delivery scooters are still a real hazard, so it must not yet be actual law here, I think.

The law is there, but it is mandatory from September 2019.

However 'adding noises' to electric cars is actually a thing

Saganator · Aug 23, 2017

MarionCB said:
Well, I'm not sure they do here in Australia. People say that. In any case, I hope they don't do it. Hearing an electric car glide slightly off the other week at a carpark was a beautiful lack of sound.

As a guy who used to push carts at Costco, the EV's that make a little sound are appreciated. Too many times I was completely surprised by a silent electric car behind me

Angelus Errare · Aug 23, 2017

danowat said:
What noise do they add?, is this in the US?, no added noises in the UK.

There are added noises everywhere, almost every sound you hear in an EV vehicle is fake ranging from exhaust notes to engine revving, because they have relatively little moving parts in an EV car. There are no pistons, no exhaust notes, no timing belts, etc.

If EVs removed all fake sounds all you'd hear would be the tires rolling. Now think about the last time you actually heard the tires of a car in a city.

Even that EV signature whizzing/electric sound you hear is actually fake lol

Here's a good break down featuring the Nissan Leaf. Keep in mind not all EVs give you the option to turn off that whizzing sound, but rest assured...it's fake.

SolarPowered · Aug 23, 2017

danowat said:
They'll be a lot more people getting knocked over, if the amount of people who walk out on my when my car is in full EV mode is anything to go by.

But yeah, it'll be quieter, you also get less brake noise on electric vehicles..

AI driven cars will probably be far more common on the road by then. Accidents will likely be a rarity compared to how often they happen now.

Putosaure · Aug 23, 2017

I'm in China right now and most of the motorbikes are electric. It's silent as a regular bike and really dangerous.
Manufacturers should definitely add some fake noise to electric vehicles.

danowat · Aug 23, 2017

Angelus Errare said:
There are added noises everywhere, almost every sound you hear in an EV vehicle is fake ranging from exhaust notes to engine revving, because they have relatively little moving parts in an EV car. There are no pistons, no exhaust notes, no timing belts, etc.

If EVs removed all fake sounds all you'd hear would be the tires rolling. Now think about the last time you actually heard the tires of a car in a city.

Even that EV signature whizzing/electric sound you hear is actually fake lol

Here's a good break down featuring the Nissan Leaf. Keep in mind not all EVs give you the option to turn off that whizzing sound, but rest assured...it's fake.

Yeah, I know, I own one, but mine is completely silent, no added noises at all, but that's because they aren't mandatory in the EU till 2019.

Gentleman Jack · Aug 23, 2017

If you live in a city, construction noise will still be near-constant.

Perfect Cha0s · Aug 23, 2017

danowat said:
They'll be a lot more people getting knocked over, if the amount of people who walk out on my when my car is in full EV mode is anything to go by.

But yeah, it'll be quieter, you also get less brake noise on electric vehicles..

Safety features that watch the road are already getting pretty common on newer vehicles. We'll have roads full of cars with cameras (and other technologies) before we have roads full of electric cars, I would bet.

Always-honest · Aug 23, 2017

Cars? fix them loud motorbikes first. Can't wait for those to go silent.
Reminds me of one of the best Southpark episodes.

gutter_trash · Aug 23, 2017

Auctopus said:
I'm trying to imagine NYC with just honking without the accompanying revving of engines and hydraulic brakes - it actually feels more annoying.

Yeah, the white noise of multiple engines running muffles the overall sound in the city.

Removing the engine no noises will straight up feel like alarm clocks everytime a honk or siren goes off

Tigress · Aug 23, 2017

strafer said:
There will still be sirens and honking in New York City.

Last time I was in NYC (earlier this summer) it was remarkably devoid of car horns. Apparently they passed a law about it. Was weird.

gcubed · Aug 23, 2017

gutter_trash said:
Yeah, the white noise of multiple engines running muffles the overall sound in the city.

Removing the engine no noises will straight up feel like alarm clocks everytime a honk or siren goes off

Yes the lack of engine noise is going to make the other noises worse

Khaz · Aug 23, 2017

What I'd like to have on my hybrid is a gentler horn to warn pedestrians of my presence, like a bicycle bell or a tram/bus bell. Having a constant noise just adds to noise pollution and is useless 95% of the time. As you can hear the tires at as low as 20km/h, pedestrian crossing streets can hear us coming; at lower speed I seriously hope that you have control over your car enough to prevent any incident. Any pedestrian walking like on a car park oblivious to your presence can be reminded of it with a brief bell ringing.

jstripes · Aug 23, 2017

danowat said:
They'll be a lot more people getting knocked over, if the amount of people who walk out on my when my car is in full EV mode is anything to go by.

But yeah, it'll be quieter, you also get less brake noise on electric vehicles..

You've already got idiots walking with their earphones plugged deep into their ears and their eyes fixed on their Twitter feed, so there won't be much change.

HStallion · Aug 23, 2017

Cars will have external speakers that you can download custom sounds to go with things like speeding up and down, hitting the breaks and so on. Personally my sounds are going to be that of people having intense sex. That'll get people looking both ways before crossing the street... or leaving them very confused.

OneEightZero · Aug 23, 2017

I want my 99¢ EV Mustang download pack.

nitewulf · Aug 23, 2017

There'll still be buses, trains, construction, ambulance sirens, police sirens...and the general white noise produced by things moving in a city. Internal combustion engines are just one part of it, plus a lot of the noise is as the car moves through space, the air flow, the breaking, the general sounds produced by friction of a moving mass...those noises aren't going away.

Oveja Negra · Aug 23, 2017

I remember a docu about this and to my surprise, there, researchers said most of the noise a car generates doesn't come from the engine itself but the friction between the tires and the pavement.

So, a lot of the efforts were concentrated in looking for new materials and to create new "patterns" in the tire's surface that produced much lower noise levels.

danthefan · Aug 23, 2017

Tyre noise is a pretty significant chunk of the noise that comes from a car.

siddx · Aug 23, 2017

As a former big city resident, I always found engine noise to be the least distracting thing. Yelling and loud talking, endless honking, music blaring from every orifice, random banging and clanging and smashing, and in Vietnam the goddman all night karaoke were the most obnoxious things. People themselves are incredibly loud creatures and when you have streets filled with these chittering and screeching apes, things get very loud.

Oh and endless construction.

CodonAUG · Aug 23, 2017

From what I've read;

Above 30mph tire noise is the primary noise of all cars and no extra sound is needed for EVs
Below 30mph tire noise is not as prominent and EV cars can be harder to hear

HellforLeather · Aug 23, 2017

Modern cars are extremely quiet for the most part. Most freeway noise is from wind and tires. In the city people will still honk, brakes will still squeal.

It will be somewhat quieter but probably not as much as you think.

danowat · Aug 23, 2017

CodonAUG said:
From what I've read;

Above 30mph tire noise is the primary noise of all cars and no extra sound is needed for EVs
Below 30mph tire noise is not as prominent and EV cars can be harder to hear

Indeed, tyre noise is much less in cities, where the average speed is quite low.

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