“The electrification of mobility gives humanity a rare opportunity to reinvent the sound of cities”, tells the weekly The New Yorker. Because for the moment, the city is the scene of a “hearing battle in which the loudest wins”, continues the magazine. But little by little, it is filled with new, softer sounds as electric and hybrid cars drive through it. Automakers are being pushed to work with famous musicians to create an artificial sound, emitted when idling, to protect pedestrians.
Because of the wind and the noise of their tires, it is only at full speed that electric cars produce about as much noise as thermal cars. The rest of the time, the “motor receives electricity from the battery and spins with a barely audible hum”, detailed The New Yorker. However, passers-by and cyclists depend on the sound of cars to capture their presence, learn about their direction, their speed or whether they are accelerating or decelerating.
In 2011, a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed that hybrid and electric vehicles were 35% more likely than internal combustion vehicles to be involved.