Electronics in Car

Back in the days when classic automobiles cruised the old streets, engines roared and nobody worried about the effects of driving – mainly due to the fact that there were far fewer cars on the roads. Nowadays the streets and the cars that crowd them have changed, but unfortunately this revolution has created a surge in CO2 emissions.

There have been many suggestions for battling the effects on the economy from the continuous introduction of modern gas guzzlers, but the answer has come in the form of hybrid vehicles. Not only do they emit lower levels of CO2, but they provide a quieter sound output – the only problem with this is we can’t hear them coming. Lotus is going full steam ahead with their Evora 414E model that comes complete with “fancy sound FX”, according to Edmunds.com.

Motorists and pedestrians run a high risk on the roads, so by having sound FX generators built into hybrid cars, road users will be alerted by rendering audible sounds. The Daily Mail website has reported that “electric cars could soon be given special signature tunes so that pedestrians can hear them and avoid stepping out into their path”.

Regulators in the European Union, Japan and the United States are considering allowing manufacturers an array of sounds – from the conventional brum brum car engines to sci-fi sounds from Star Wars (let’s just hope we don’t have Darth Vader breathing down our necks while driving).

It’s ironic that for decades car manufactures have been on the quest to make engine sounds quieter, and yet now they are digitally enhancing engine sounds to make them more apparent. NY Times website has reported that some hybrid auto companies have started “tinkering in sound studios, in order to customise engine noises”. “One possibility is choosing your own noise”, said Nathalie Beuters, a spokeswoman for BMW’s Mini Division, which could open up a whole new possibility for car manufacturers to compete in the race to be the most prominent sound on the roads.

According to Dailymail.com, “electric and hybrid cars don’t have to make the same noise as conventional cars however, they present us with a chance to change that irritating roar into something more pleasant”.