View Full Version : How do you guys feel about the sound or lack of that the roadster will make?
dsacks6
08-15-2006, 12:02 PM
?
chucknorris
08-15-2006, 09:23 PM
My problem with this is that i often hear another car coming before i see it. This is a safety issue. Like when i cross a street. Is it really going to be that quiet. I do like it because i like listening to my music and it would be nice not to have the engine sound. Plus i hate those ferraris that wake you up in the middle of the night they are so loud.
dsacks6
08-16-2006, 09:45 AM
Yah i've always wondered about the sound issue, cause i think the noise a car make has often let me know I better get out of the way. hmmmm..... ???
asdar
08-17-2006, 12:52 PM
I think you'll still hear the car coming, the electric motor is quiet, but not silent and the tires still make noise.
I don't know if any of you have done this but coming from a hilly area we used to ride down hills in neutral with the windows open and there's just nothing like that fast quiet feeling that I think will come with the Tesla.
WarpedOne
08-17-2006, 01:18 PM
Why not make this into a feature? 8)
User selectable engine sounds. You can select how your car sounds from supplied 8 different hums and tunes and also produce your own custom roars. They are reproduced by car's standard 2kW 8-way hifi system that is bound to be heard by thy neighbours and their dogs.
:D
dnavas
08-17-2006, 01:23 PM
[geek-alert]
I want ILM-style sound-effects.
;D
The high-speed whine has a distinctive sound, but you need some kind of low-frequency sound to alert people that the car is about to move away. This was demonstrated when Tesla folks wanted to move the car and people had to be shooed out of the way, not realizing that the car was even on. That said, I want the car to be quiet, that's a distinct advantage in my eyes.
-Dave
chucknorris
08-17-2006, 03:49 PM
Why not make this into a feature? 8)
User selectable engine sounds. You can select how your car sounds from supplied 8 different hums and tunes and also produce your own custom roars. They are reproduced by car's standard 2kW 8-way hifi system that is bound to be heard by thy neighbours and their dogs.
:D
i think that is an awesome idea but will probably never happen because it is kind of a novelty.
if you blast your music people might be able to hear you coming which will lessen the danger
tonybelding
08-17-2006, 09:42 PM
I'm cool with the quiet car. I never really "got it" when people wax poetic about their engine noises.
Safety? Well. . . It might be an issue at first, but I'm sure people will get used to it. It seems the main problem would be when you are maneuvering in a tight area, like a parking lot, and people can't hear you fire up the engine. You can't rev the motor to let them know to get out of your way. But there's always the horn.
The horn on my car typically gets used once a year, when I go for my inspection sticker. Maybe I'll have to learn how to use it.
WarpedOne
08-18-2006, 12:42 AM
Another posibility is to mount a beeper that is activated whenever speed drops under say 10mph. Trucks have it for reverse, just activate it regardles of direction.
dsacks6
08-18-2006, 09:11 AM
thats a pretty good idea
dsacks6
08-18-2006, 09:12 AM
thats a pretty good idea
Vern Padgett
08-18-2006, 12:29 PM
I'm cool with the quiet car.* I never really "got it" when people wax poetic about their engine noises. Safety?* Well. . .* It might be an issue at first, but I'm sure people will get used to it.* It seems the main problem would be when you are maneuvering in a tight area, like a parking lot, and people can't hear you fire up the engine.* You can't rev the motor to let them know to get out of your way.* But there's always the horn. The horn on my car typically gets used once a year, when I go for my inspection sticker.* Maybe I'll have to learn how to use it.
I ride a Harley, and I had the Stage 1 performance modifications done, and it is a lot louder.* I've had many motorcyclists tell me to "make it as loud as possible so the other drivers know you are there."* But that is total (or near-total) BS.* Most motorcycle accidents would not be prevented by loud pipes.* So the noise issue is not a safety issue.*
What existing cars already need to have is what the electrics should have:* A loud with several loudness levels.* Push it gently, you get an audible but not loud or annoying sound-- enough to let folks know you are in the car and they are in your way, or whatever.* Push it hard, and you get the sound that auto horns currently make.*
We need the same for our home lighting systems-- A gradated switch, with noticeable gradations-- Who has been blinded in the middle of the night by turning on your lights, when all you needed was a little light?* I can't use a rheostat, because I switched to all compact flourescent over 10 years ago.
Vern
Vern Padgett
08-18-2006, 01:38 PM
Another posibility is to mount a beeper that is activated whenever speed drops under say 10mph. Trucks have it for reverse, just activate it regardles of direction.
There is no way I would own any car with a beeper like that.
Iamtherealwoody
08-18-2006, 03:36 PM
No beeper, that would make people hate you. Hit one person and everyone else will start paying attention when theyre walking on a street. Isnt that what youre supposed to do? look both ways? who needs the sound.
feelthesweetbeat
08-18-2006, 06:08 PM
Ahahahahah, i could hate you for just thinking up the beeper idea... but i wont cause im not like that... No beeper!!!
Think about this... Hard top tesla + black as night + black rims + black tint + tinted head/tail lights + black calipers + no noise = most bad-ass sleeper stealth car ever...
I dont care as long as it goes like shtik.
Sounds like the first aftermarket idea...custom engine sounds for your silent electric car. My favorite would be the roar of the engines of an F-15 in full afterburner during takeoff. Coming through!
jadresak
08-20-2006, 06:15 PM
It will be the first real sportscar where you can actually listen to music while you drive. How can that be a bad thing?
chucknorris
08-21-2006, 12:37 PM
jadresak
you are a genius
listening to music will be freakin sweet
feelthesweetbeat
08-21-2006, 07:30 PM
Now that i think about it, In racing situations it would allow easier communication between the team and the driver and less driver fatigue. If the performace of the car doesnt degrade much as the batt charge goes down, this car may make a big impact on endurance racing.
I love the silent engine because of the isolation it will bring with it.
I love a great tone from the engine. It really is appart of the driving experance but imagine for a moment that you're out in the twisties. You go flying past someone house bouncing off the rev limiter. People hear it. Worse of all, people who aren't in the car hate you for it. Whether they are watching wheel of fortune or cooking dinner. All of a sudden "those loud sports cars" become a topic of conversation.
The silent engine gives us the ability to still fly past someones house in the twisties enjoying every aspect of driving. Except now, unless someone is looking for you, they won't know.
Mazda3
09-05-2006, 01:31 PM
A beeper for an alert would suck beyond belief. Rush hour would become unbearable for you and the people around you. Better to just hit people.
dsacks6
09-05-2006, 01:52 PM
I think a beeper for reverse may be a decent idea.
Martin Eberhardt commented in the MSN interview
* * http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=ed407edf-b1c5-4fc6-a130-af7228847243&f=msnhome&fg=copy
that it has "its own sound." It would be nice if the Youtube video recorded it instead of cheesy music.
* * http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhgctsVIrWc
I suspect that people will learn to watch out.
tonybelding
09-07-2006, 03:55 PM
Martin Eberhardt commented in the MSN interview
http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?g=ed407edf-b1c5-4fc6-a130-af7228847243&f=msnhome&fg=copy
that it has "its own sound."
Can somebody post that video in a format I can view on my Mac? Or even a transcript, maybe?
Can somebody post that video in a format I can view on my Mac? Or even a transcript, maybe?
Try
* * http://news.com.com/1606-2-6102127.html
search google keywords
* * Tesla Roadster Video
Michael
09-13-2006, 04:34 AM
Although I don't particularly care for the beeping noise that comes from trucks backing up, I think I can accept that there might be a need for something (perhaps a little more pleasant sounding perhaps) to get peoples attention when backing up or trying to move forward.* I think this beeping noise should be activated by the driver at need instead of being automatic though!
martink
09-14-2006, 01:31 PM
Regarding safety - when you think about it every hybrid is an "electric" car when it's batteries are charged. With over 500,000 hybrids on the road in the United States the issue is already something being dealt with by various organizations.
http://www.tamcmonterey.org/bpc/meetings/2006/march/pdf/cor1.pdf#search=%22National%20Highway%20Traffic%20Safety%20Administration%20to%2 0research%20the%20effect%20of%20quiet%20cars%20on%20pedestrians.%22
The idea of quiet streets sounds great to me. Just got to kill the boom boxes.
Some day the ZOOM-ZOOM noises will be as quaint as the sound of hoofs on cobblestone.
I will miss the burble-burble from my Miata as I get ready for the curves ahead.
Takumi
03-07-2007, 08:48 PM
Actually, I don't think sound will be much of an issue. Today's luxury cars are pretty quiet that it's hard to tell if they are even on. Even non-luxury new cars are quiet. I know a few people that have turned the ignition key on and heard the starter's grinding sound because the car was already on.
I doubt most of us listen for the cars sound when they are in the parking lot. Most of us probably see the reverse light or the parking lights. (I'm glad the government made daytime running lights mandatory).
I also used to let my car coast on neutral with the engine off when the muffler was broken. It's not that quiet. The tires hitting the road still make noise.
If people get hit, it will most likely be the same as why they get hit now. Either the pedestrian was not paying attention (i.e. iPod, talking to friend, cell phone) or the the driver was not paying attention (i.e. iPod, talking to friend, cell phone).
The issue will mostly be with deaf and blind people.
Michael
03-09-2007, 04:44 AM
I can empathize with someone that may have inadvertently tried to 'start' a vehicle that was already running and hearing the grinding of the starter gear, ouch! To resolve this problem for EV's or PHEV's, we should be able to live with some kind of idiot light that makes it obvious that the vehicle is in a drivable state.
I agree that the greater problem is the potential concern in regards to blind persons. To aid with this, there should probably be some standard enacted which dictates some type of noise being made when a vechicle is stopped or is coming to a stop, or perhaps even up to a certain speed (to cover those times that the vehicle might be traveling in town). I would feel better if the fact that I was driving a vehicle wasn't putting me in a situation where I could appear 'invisible' to anyone around me, although I certainly wouldn't want whatever sound was generated to be intrusive on the driving enjoyment. A deaf person had better not be also blind without having some type of aid (not much that anyone could be expected to help in this case).
WarpedOne
03-13-2007, 03:27 PM
EV's are not dead quiet. They just don't make that low frequency rumble that can be heard from miles away. Their noise is of higher frequences that doesn't propagate very far and is somewhat quieter than ICE's noise. The problem is they make it only when moving. From standstill they are very quiet. Could be a problem in a crowded parking lots.
tonybelding
03-13-2007, 04:28 PM
I can empathize with someone that may have inadvertently tried to 'start' a vehicle that was already running and hearing the grinding of the starter gear, ouch!
My papa was nearly deaf and he did that all the time. It always made me cringe.
But the EV has no starter motor, so at least it won't grind.
I agree that the greater problem is the potential concern in regards to blind persons. To aid with this, there should probably be some standard enacted which dictates some type of noise being made when a vechicle is stopped or is coming to a stop, or perhaps even up to a certain speed (to cover those times that the vehicle might be traveling in town).
I might favor some kind of alternate horn, similar to a bicycle bell or a "cricket chirp". I mean something I can trigger myself to alert pedestrians. . . I don't think it should make noises all the time, automatically: that would be truly annoying.
I agree with Tony. Essentially a friendly, gentle "I'm here" horn. Separate from the "OUT OF MY WAY!!" horn.
Future
03-13-2007, 09:40 PM
In my opinion, the Roadster and most electric cars in general sound awesome :). I cant wait until the day comes that i get into my EV, step on the accelerator, and hear the satisfying turbine-like whine of the gear reduction unit. wweeeeeeeEEEEEE!!!!
As for safety, I think that the softer horn is a great idea.
- Future
WarpedOne
03-14-2007, 01:16 AM
http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/3768med.mov
Turn on your speakers and watch and listen. Especially when it stops and then starts moving again.
What is that sound?
tonybelding
03-14-2007, 06:17 AM
http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/3768med.mov
Turn on your speakers and watch and listen. Especially when it stops and then starts moving again.
What is that sound?
That deep rumble? That, I believe, is a truck located behind the camera which just happened to start up right when the car did. If you look closely you can see its shadow moving a the last moment before the clip ends.
>Insert Quote
>http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/3768med.mov
>Turn on your speakers and watch and listen. Especially when it stops and then starts moving again.
>What is that sound?
I think it's a combination of a few things. Mostly I belive the camera's microphone is straining to pick up any sounds. Over compensating for the silence. Notice how loud the squeaks of the tires are. You would never even hear those sounds if an ICE was running. Basically it's the car's white noise enhanced.
It's a split braking test with tires on two surfaces so there are two sounds. Tires on snow and tires on pavement. Even at a slow speed snow makes a lot of crunching sounds. there are other wind, and rolling sounds as well. It's tough to exactly say what's going each precise moment because picture and sound are not in perfect sync. But as Tony points out that when the Tesla stops for the second time, the car shadow in the lower right continues to move even as the Roadster sits still. It is likely contributing to the soundtrack.
My ride here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6886362354013029791&q=tesla+debut+roadster+ride&hl=en is totally RAW. From start to finish no edits or sound changes. I tought it would be good that way since most footage is quick cuts backed with music and voice overs. You can hear the sounds just as they were from the car etc.
e
Wall St. Journal has article today on car buyers preference for quiet cars and the involved efforts required to diminish the lead cause-wind noise. A sort of differant consideration than those outside the cars perceptions of the cars noise. One measure taken that the Roadster will likley be precluded from is thicker glass. So called piston-heads will have a knee jerk objection to EV's for not hearing all that hosepower roar, efficiency be damned. Most buyers are more interested in hearing nature or their music it seems.
cor_van_de_water
03-27-2007, 02:30 PM
I drive an EV every day. Never a problem with pedestrians, because I look out for them, as any driver should.
When you are piloting an EV, you may have a few bewildered looks when taking off due to people missing something,
but most people never even notice and since I know I drive a rather quiet vehicle, I know that I must look to avoid surprising people when driving slow with non-motorized traffic around.
I read of another EV that was announced with optional clippety-clop sound.
Since hardly anybody (especially in the city) has experience with horses, they won't associate the sound with a vehicle though, but it enforces the back-to-nature character of EVs.
BTW, I totally agree that absence of noise is a good thing. I sleep light. most nights I wake up at 2 or 3 AM because somebody decided that he's let everyone around him in on his love for raw unmuffled explosions.
How about I go and ride my bicycle (or EV) in the middle of the night, banging on a metal trashcan? I would expect that I'd be stopped real soon. I do not understand why this apparently unacceptable racket is 'accepted' from car engines.
Personally I find that as tasteful as farting as loud as you can. Ditto for the boom-boxes that make my bedroom windows rattle.
There is a clear Vehicle Code prohibition on modified exhausts and audio volume. Unfortunately it is never enforced, so there is not a person who realizes that he even does something illegal (besides knowing courtesy and treading lightly while other people sleep).
Why do you think that property next to a busy road is so cheap? Three reasons:
Noise, noise and noise. You can take care of most every other problem, but noise is a very sneaky opponent.
EVs are truly a relief in this respect.
?
There is more to this than you think. Check this out, http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/02/13/silent-hybrid-and-electric-vehicles-should-always-make-a-noticea/
Tesla2Go
03-30-2007, 09:29 AM
the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), an advocacy group that is calling for all hybrid vehicles to emit a sound when turned on, and this noise needs to be loud enough to hear over ambient traffic noise.
So in the end, we'll end up with electric vehicles that are louder than ICE vehicles? I don't understand this concern, because ICE vehicles are already very quiet at low speeds, why don't blind people have a problem with that? It's impossible to hear a slow car coming your way, if there is also ambient traffic noise. But this apparently poses no problem.
If the EV is moving so slow that even it's tires make very little noise, then it would be very difficult to hit somebody that crossed the street without looking. If you're on a road where higher speeds are allowed, I hardly think blind people will just cross the road at any point, quiet cars or not.
Why make 200 milliion+ (potential) EVs noisy for 1.3 million blind people who might be mobile enough to be near a street. Bicycles are quiet, the new EV motorcyles willl be silent, NEVs, golf carts, runners, scooters,... The list goes on.
Should everything make noise pollution?
I like the idea to give motion sensors to the blind.
By the way, When riding my bike on the road it's the buses that scare the *#&/@ out of me. When I am stopped waiting for a light a bus will appear next to me with a loud braking screech.
I never hear them coming because the engine is 30' back behind me at the rear of the bus.
Teslasmoke
04-12-2007, 11:16 AM
My Cousin has one. It's pretty loud, Its just weird. Driving down the street it makes a very unique sound kinda like a ferrari or lambo this is more of a wine and just, i dunno how to describe it. It perfect. Not obnoxiously loud but good for what it is.
i have placed my order along with my wifes order for 2008.
;D
My Cousin has one. It's pretty loud, Its just weird.
Your Cousin has one what?
Brent
06-25-2007, 06:12 PM
Count me as one of those not too concerned about the car's quiet motor, but I would like to know how much traffic noise will bleed into the car. I don't expect the driving experience will be all that tranquil, even with the hardtop installed. Come to think of it, other than trying to decipher an ICE engine's various whines and growls, what purpose does the ability to hear outside noises accomplish?
dsacks6
06-25-2007, 11:30 PM
In an ICE car you use sound to help let you know how high your revs are, in an electric car you don't need that because it only has 2 gears so you don't have to worry much about using the sound as a guide to keep it in the right gear.
These days, noise reduction technologies on ICE cars are so good that many are practically silent.
On some Lexus models for instance you do have to check the tachometer to make sure if the gas motor is running or not.
I don't think it should be a requirement for a car to emit sounds for safety reasons.
Electric motors have their own distinctive "whirring" sound, it might be how loud or muffled the electric motor would be. On the sport version more "whirring" on a sedan less "whirring".
Once electric vehicles become mainstream, human nature being what it is, the "whirring" sounds will identify the different makes of vehicles. Manufacturers will make it a point to have a distinctive sound.
San Jose, Tesla Suffer Huge Setback Over Stalled Plant | NBC Bay Area (http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/San-Jose-Tesla-Suffer-Huge-Setback-Over-Plant.html)
That audio at the opening was the best/cleanest of the motor sound from a Roadster I have heard. Anyone know how I can get that into my ringtone?
To me that audio sounds embellished.
I think the person doing the background music might have started to overdub some other sound on top of the Roadster motor sound...
DaveD
01-29-2009, 05:08 PM
To me that audio sounds embellished.
Maybe, but my first thought was that since this is a Tesla video, it's possible that they recorded the sound from a motor/transmission on a test rig, which would likely produce a "clean" motor sound, but at the same time be unrealistic since it wasn't from one installed in a Roadster.
Well keep in mind that I have only been in DT1.0 cars... Maybe DT1.5 sounds different from what I have heard before.
If you're talking about this video, the lack of wind or suspension noise suggests that it's either the drivetrain on a test rig, or the Roadster on a dyno.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1C44JQU7Pc
Yeah, that video between :10 and :20.
Yes, probably on a dyno.
And so in practice in a real car the wind and tire noise overwealm the motor noise after about 4K RPMs so you don't get to hear all that.
From ":10" to ":15" sounds familiar, but after that it sounds different from what I remember.
Actually come to think of it I have probably never been past 9K RPMs in the Roadster so I don't even know what it really sounds like at the top end (assuming you could hear anything over the wind & tire noise).
that sound was recorded on EP2 on a chassis dyno in San Rafael - at WORKs Mitsubishi. (I'm really enjoying sharing meaningless trivia!)
Hopefully you didn't disclose any trade secrets by saying that. :smile:
So, now we know!
Still want it as my ringtone. :rolleyes:
Even better without the music overlay at the end (but it's Ok I guess)
Tdave
01-30-2009, 07:56 AM
Here's a YouTube video that recently appeared that's one of the best in cabin sound recordings of acceleration and deceleration that I've heard so far. It's a quick run to 60 and back in 20 seconds.
Roadster to 60 and back (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=642jsOhOSKA)
SByer
01-30-2009, 09:35 AM
Piped it through ListenToYouTube.com: Youtube to MP3, get mp3 from youtube video, flv to mp3, extract audio from youtube, youtube mp3 (http://www.listentoyoutube.com), and I'm halfway to a ringtone...
that sound was recorded on EP2 on a chassis dyno in San Rafael - at WORKs Mitsubishi. (I'm really enjoying sharing meaningless trivia!)
You sure it was EP2, not EP1?
http://www.teslamotors.com/display_data/wired_for_sound.jpg
(notice all the microphones and the Mitsubishi EVO in the background?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6uiAI8k5yk
Was it recorded for the video game?
That EP1 recording, I believe, was for project gotham racing. The promotional video was shot before that.
Ah OK... More Trivia for us!
I've got an MP3 of the last part, during the ride. I cut it off when he floors it, just after his wife says "Oh, Jesus!". I left out the part where she tells him to stop.
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VaCv2TR2FjI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VaCv2TR2FjI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>