[JasH]

New EU law will require electric cars to be fitted with a noise emitter from July 2019.

And existing cars retrofitted by 2021.

Finally, one solitary good reason to support Brexit

[i8_2018]

Well we shall see how long it takes each country to start enforcing that..

[JasH]

True

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by JasH

New EU law will require electric cars to be fitted with a noise emitter from July 2019.

And existing cars retrofitted by 2021.

Finally, one solitary good reason to support Brexit

Doesn't the i8 already have a pretty impressive noise emitter? No retrofit required - probably just recode to enable the fake exhaust sound all the time - even in eco mode...

[vance]

Do Tesla’s emit noise in Europe? Or are they even sold over there?

[evanevery]

I guess bicycles will be next?

[JasH]

….then pedestrians

[JasH]

Originally Posted by evanevery

Doesn't the i8 already have a pretty impressive noise emitter? No retrofit required - probably just recode to enable the fake exhaust sound all the time - even in eco mode...

BMW could probably update the car OS to enable that. But on past form, they will never bother.

I've been really disappointed with the lack of (Tesla style) OS updates to the i8 from BMW. Puts me off buying again.

They could have really impressed and courted their i8 early adopter customers. Most of whom were new to the BMW brand, like me.

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by JasH

BMW could probably update the car OS to enable that. But on past form, they will never bother.

I've been really disappointed with the lack of (Tesla style) OS updates to the i8 from BMW. Puts me off buying again.

They could have really impressed and courted their i8 early adopter customers. Most of whom were new to the BMW brand, like me.

Well it appears they are going to have to do SOMETHING...and I really don't think it would be that big of a deal. Although BMW doesn't do mass over the air updates like Tesla (I have a Model X), I expect it would be fairly straight-forward to enable the fake exhaust sound at low speed just through dealer coding. Its very likely the conditions/threshold for the exhaust speaker is simply coded into one of the car's ECM's as it is...

[JasH]

Not in the UK (or US). The one solitary benefit of Brexit (IMHO )

[Aye-eight]

Originally Posted by evanevery

Doesn't the i8 already have a pretty impressive noise emitter? No retrofit required - probably just recode to enable the fake exhaust sound all the time - even in eco mode...

Yes it does. You can disable it, but you have to do it for every single drive. It doesn’t stay off.

[Aye-eight]

Originally Posted by evanevery

Doesn't the i8 already have a pretty impressive noise emitter? No retrofit required - probably just recode to enable the fake exhaust sound all the time - even in eco mode...

Oh, and it’s not the exhaust noise. It’s an artifical electric whine.

[JasH]

You're both talking about two different things guys

btw, the e-emitter is optional here. Mine does not have it, as I wanted a "stealth mode" I do drive super cautiously around pedestrians as a result, when in e-drive.

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by Aye-eight

Oh, and it’s not the exhaust noise. It’s an artifical electric whine.

No one said it was the exhaust noise. I think pretty much everyone knows its fake. In fact,you can buy the Maserati kit and change it altogether. No news here...

...and yes, you can disable it, you can completely unhook it. Permanently...

The point is, however, that it can likely be permanently enabled via a simple coding excercise. I expect that would satisfy the requirement of adding sound to an otherwise quiet car when in EV mode...

[Aye-eight]

Originally Posted by JasH

You're both talking about two different things guys

You’re right. We are. And I’ll leave it at that.

[NGR]

Originally Posted by JasH

You're both talking about two different things guys

btw, the e-emitter is optional here. Mine does not have it, as I wanted a "stealth mode" I do drive super cautiously around pedestrians as a result, when in e-drive.

Any idea if the e-emitter just uses the exhaust speaker? I know the "pedestrian noise" feature is optional in the UK but would hope it doesn't need an extra speaker (and the weight that some with it).

[FrequentFlyer]

The e-emitter is a self contained module that sits behind the nose of the car so is separate to the external exhaust speaker. I have it in mine. I would have thought it is retrofittable but no idea if it complies with any forthcoming EU rule so best wait and see.

[fishpond]

Originally Posted by FrequentFlyer

The e-emitter is a self contained module that sits behind the nose of the car so is separate to the external exhaust speaker. I have it in mine. I would have thought it is retrofittable but no idea if it complies with any forthcoming EU rule so best wait and see.

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...

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by FrequentFlyer

The e-emitter is a self contained module that sits behind the nose of the car so is separate to the external exhaust speaker. I have it in mine. I would have thought it is retrofittable but no idea if it complies with any forthcoming EU rule so best wait and see.

So, in some countries, the i8 already has an e-emitter? (...not be be confused with the exhaust speaker)

Seriously though, there are some pretty quiet ICE vehicles already. I wonder how some of them fare in comparison to pure EV's?

I'm all for safety, but isn't this going a bit too far? We finally get some nice quiet vehicles (something the industry has always been work towards), and now they are "too quiet"? Shouldn't there be TWO separate people trying to avoid accidents (the driver AND the pedestrian)?

I appreciate the complications with hearing impaired pedestrians (who may not hear the e-emitter anyway), but what about bicycles and even OTHER pedestrians? In general, people should pull their faces out of their cell phones to begin with.

Whats next - Cattle Pushers on the bumpers?

I'm not angry - just a little sad that we would have to do this...

[Aye-eight]

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...

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.

[evanevery]

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.

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.

[Aye-eight]

Originally Posted by evanevery

So, in some countries, the i8 already has an e-emitter? (...not be be confused with the exhaust speaker)

Seriously though, there are some pretty quiet ICE vehicles already. I wonder how some of them fare in comparison to pure EV's?

I'm all for safety, but isn't this going a bit too far? We finally get some nice quiet vehicles (something the industry has always been work towards), and now they are "too quiet"? Shouldn't there be TWO separate people trying to avoid accidents (the driver AND the pedestrian)?

I appreciate the complications with hearing impaired pedestrians (who may not hear the e-emitter anyway), but what about bicycles and even OTHER pedestrians? In general, people should pull their faces out of their cell phones to begin with.

Whats next - Cattle Pushers on the bumpers?

I'm not angry - just a little sad that we would have to do this...

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.