Electric Car-Makers Develop 'Cartones'

Updated: Sunday, 11 Jul 2010, 1:01 PM CDT
Published : Sunday, 11 Jul 2010, 1:01 PM CDT

(NewsCore) - Select first gear and “vroom”, off you go. Or would you prefer to go “whoosh”? Or “zoom”? The choice may soon be yours, it was revealed Sunday, with electric-car makers tailoring engine noises so their vehicles don’t endanger pedestrians who cannot hear them.

While investigating different noises manufacturers realized they could offer customized sounds to individual buyers. After ringtones, here come the car tones, and as well as the classic “vroom” noises, researchers have been playing with sounds from films such as "Star Trek" and "Blade Runner."

The Lotus engineering group is working with car firms in Europe and Japan to develop suitable sounds, and the first should be available next year.

Colin Peachey, an engineer with the group, said: “You could have 'Star Trek' sounds for the U.S. and 'Doctor Who' for the U.K. If you take it to its extremes it could be like ringtones for mobile phones.”

Regulators, however, may have other ideas. In Japan the government has published guidelines stating that electric vehicles should include a noise but advises that the sounds, which may become mandatory, should be “car-like.”