[Aye-eight]

Originally Posted by evanevery

If its that hard to actually hear, I wonder how effective it actually is... Especially for some pedestrian with their face in a phone call or music, or otherwise NOT paying attention... Thats pretty much the problem we are up against I think.

I suspect it’s easier to hear outside the car than inside it. And I probably appreciate that, given that it’s always on.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by fishpond

I ordered the pedestrian warning speaker with my car (from memory it was only ~£100 so I just added it without question). Even though it's always on by default, I can't hear any difference when I switch it off...

I could hear it on the courtesy i8 that I was given. My own car is silent.

I could only hear it when outside the i8 though, not when driving it.

I deliberately didn't spec it, just to have a "stealth mode"

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by Aye-eight

To your first question: yes. To your comment in brackets: exactly. Been trying to drive that home like the proverbial stake through the vampire’s heart.

I think the noise issue with normal cars is not necessarily when they cruise along at 20 mph. It’s more of a problem with hard acceleration and higher speeds. That’s where “nice and quiet” is still appreciated. Funny enough, at some point, the wind and noise and the rolling noise from the tires are louder than a normal ICE. Which is why Germany, for instance, has been experimenting with “whisper asphalt” that’s supposed to eliminate some of that.

Apparantly, the problem specifically IS when EV's are driving slowly:

"Campaigners say that EVs' lack of noise -- particularly when traveling at low speeds -- poses a significant safety risk to cyclists and pedestrians. The EU agrees, and so from July 2019 all new electric and hybrid vehicles sold in Europe must emit a noise when travelling slowly."

https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/08/...tters-by-2021/

Point is: Is a slow moving EV really THAT much quieter than some of the newer ICE vehicles?

[fishpond]

Originally Posted by Aye-eight

Yeah, I wondered about that for years. Until someone here told me what to look for - an eletric / turbine sort of whine at speeds below 30 km/h. With the windows down, in an underground parking structure, ideally with low ceiling and clean walls (not tons of piping), you actually can hear the difference.

It’s not very loud. So clearly, it has to be at the front of the car to make any sense for pedestrians. That rules out the exhaust speaker.

I tested it this morning on my driveway. You need to be in a relatively quiet environment to hear it, best heard when stationary.

If you wind down the window and toggle the Pedestrian Warning setting on iDrive on/off you can hear the sound change. It's worth noting that the sound definitely comes from the front of the vehicle and not the exhaust speaker.

Hopefully having ordered this from new as a factory option will avoid having to retrofit something to comply with this new EU nonsense.

[Aye-eight]

Originally Posted by evanevery

Point is: Is a slow moving EV really THAT much quieter than some of the newer ICE vehicles?

Yes. I’m sure you can verify this by standing in a mall parking lot for half an hour. At low speeds with zero wind and tire noise, EV can be completely stealthy. Which is one thing I like about the i8. Try sneaking out your secret girlfriend’s driveway in a McLaren in the middle of the night!

[kodachrome]

I have no idea what you lot are on about.. I need to switch to sport mode (to start engine) in town to stop people waking off paths in front if me. It desperately needs to make more noise, maybe like Audi's Etron R8 concept. This sounds like a good idea IMO and will help some clueless pedestrians (and may be some wildlife too).


Ps: Obviously switching sport mode ON in town defeats the purpose of a PHEV..

[Maxxsirrah]

Never noticed a problem on the open road, but in car parks its another matter, people meandering about not looking at all or worse face embedded to their not so smartphone and 'ooh there's a car, where did that come from?'. Try using your eyes for what they were intended stoopidfolkoftheworld.

[NGR]

Originally Posted by Maxxsirrah

Never noticed a problem on the open road, but in car parks its another matter, people meandering about not looking at all or worse face embedded to their not so smartphone and 'ooh there's a car, where did that come from?'. Try using your eyes for what they were intended stoopidfolkoftheworld.

In any major UK town, you're more likely to be hit by a bicycle than a quiet EV. 200 lbs of human & machine often moving at 30 mph emitting no noise and often invisibly hurtling alongside slow or still traffic. This type of incident is surprisingly common and has killed.
I look forward to the EU asking cyclists to fit a noise emitter as well.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by NGR

In any major UK town, you're more likely to be hit by a bicycle than a quiet EV. 200 lbs of human & machine often moving at 30 mph emitting no noise and often invisibly hurtling alongside slow or still traffic. This type of incident is surprisingly common and has killed.
I look forward to the EU asking cyclists to fit a noise emitter as well.

Especially the clowns who have physically removed the brakes from their bikes, because "they look cool"

[zorgzx]

Originally Posted by JasH

Especially the clowns who have physically removed the brakes from their bikes, because "they look cool"

Dont worry too much, Darwin fixes that

Here in Denmark, we have "suicide bikes" in our capital where the bikes are 1-1 with cars. They "own" the road so they dodge in and out between cars. Overtaking front, left, right and behind you with no warning.
And as they have yet to me fitted with noise emitter, theres little else to do than to be well insured.

Driving in EV mode, changes nothing, they didn't notice my C63AMG, they don't notice the i8. Its just an obstacle.

[ericsi]

Originally Posted by Aye-eight

Yeah, I wondered about that for years. Until someone here told me what to look for - an eletric / turbine sort of whine at speeds below 30 km/h. With the windows down, in an underground parking structure, ideally with low ceiling and clean walls (not tons of piping), you actually can hear the difference.

It’s not very loud. So clearly, it has to be at the front of the car to make any sense for pedestrians. That rules out the exhaust speaker.

good to know, i thought mine was broken from new!