Monday, December 27, 2010

The Possibilities Are Endless

This could make cars a lot more fun:
Should an electric car go vroom vroom like its internal combustion ancestors, make a noise like a space ship in Star Wars or emit the tranquil sounds of birdsong?

Researchers in England considering noises to alert pedestrians and cyclists to the presence of oncoming electric cars say legislation to force silent electric vehicles (EVs) to make a warning noise is inevitable.

"It's definitely coming," Warwick University Professor Paul Jennings told Reuters. "It's being prompted by the fact that there are now real statistics."

Figures compiled by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show pedestrians and cyclists are twice as likely to be hit by a hybrid electric vehicle running silently at low speed than by a car with a normal engine.
In a perfect world, I'd go with classic calls from John Ward and Harry Carey on my car. While accelerating, touchdowns and home runs (for the Cubs). While braking, interceptions and home runs (for the opposition).