Hear One Sound That U.S. EVs Could Make in the Near Future

Sept. 23, 2019

This is how Nissan is composing sounds to add to electric vehicles at low speeds. Cars in the U.S. will be emitting those notes soon enough.

September 23, 2019—Back in July, NOLN shared news about a European mandate for the addition of noise to those quiet electric vehicles while at low speed. Now, The New York Times has a story about automakers developing sounds for cars in the U.S. market.

Acting on previous government guidance, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a rule that could allow for different sound options for EVs. Without a sound, the concern is that their silent operation might be a danger to pedestrians. The NTSB had previously found that EVs are 35 percent more likely than internal combustion engine vehicles to be involved in a pedestrian accident, the Times reported.

The article focuses on composers hired by Nissan to develop a signature low-speed sound. The result sounds a bit like the THX sound effect that's often played at movie theaters.

Have a listen for yourself: