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Comment by vinw | Hacker News Reader

Most road noise is from the tyres though, modern IC engines are pretty quiet.

Having daily driven a dual-motor electric car, two turbodiesel cars (both modern and classic), and a modern Honda V6, I can tell you that the electric car is significantly quieter, especially at lower speeds and when accelerating, both inside and outside the car.

You're right that tire noise is significant, though, and that electric cars (and trucks and buses!) are not completely silent. They are definitely MUCH quieter than the drum-drum-drum of an accelerating diesel truck engine, though!

Now, if only they could get rid of that annoying beep-beep-beep a reversing truck makes...

The reversing beep-beep ain't going to go any time soon -- it's a audio warning to prevent workers being crushed under reversing trucks.

(It might go if and when reversing cameras, which are now standard on automobiles, become standard on trucks ... but there are headaches implicit in adding them to articulated lorries: what about side blind-spots? What about the trailer, as opposed to the tractor? What if a trailer-camera isn't hooked up -- should it be impossible to reverse an electric tractor if it has a trailer hook-up but no signal from the camera on the trailer?)

Not necessarily. It's being changed in some places because studies show that there are safer (and less annoying) noises that can be utilized:

Tom Scott - Why Do Reversing Trucks Not Beep Any More?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa28lIGuxq8

As someone with construction taking place next door to me I really wish they would start getting rid of the beeping in more places. I'm pessimistic that it will happen in my area anytime soon though.

Maybe automated trucks won't need that beep, once they can be trusted to stop before crushing anyone behind them?

You'd still want something shouting "get out of the way, we're working here" because you don't want to have to stop.

We'll know automated cars have truly arrived when they start using the horn against humans.

The beep-beep could be a lot quieter in general, just needs to have something so it's adaptive to the current ambient noise level. At the moment it has to be loud enough for any situation.

Well look I'm a big Tesla fan, too. When it comes for those _outside_ the vehicle the OP is right. Where I live I get engaged by Model Ss all the time in city traffic, either on bike or on foot. For me, there is no noticeable difference between a _modern_ car and a Tesla when it comes to the noise level. Perhaps it's bias as I might expect the Tesla to be more quiet than it is, but anyway that's my perception.

Here's my experience outside the vehicle - I live about two miles from Tesla HQ in an area where electric vehicles of all types are common, and bike frequently in close proximity to motor vehicles.

You're right that there is still noise, particularly from the tires, and that they are actually surprisingly loud if you are expecting silence (mostly tire noise, particularly when turning, plus a little high-pitched whine).

But when accelerating from a stop, compared to a gas car or especially a truck, the difference is noticeable. No 'vroom' or 'rattle' or 'rumble.' Trucks in particular can be window-shakingly loud. Priuses are also nice and quiet...

All true. Also important to note that it would be dangerous if the car was completely silent. Even if the car is autonomous and has a crazy smart AI, there can be accidents if people outside don't notice the car. Also, any car will spin up dust from the road that people outside breath up. I think, the only way to truly increase quality of life for pedestrian and bikers is to have zones and streets which are banned for cars, like many European city centers.

Relevant illustration: http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/24948/to-a-pedestri...

I'm surprised that many areas in Seattle don't ban cars during business hours.

There are many places in Europe that do that, except that they make just enough exceptions for this or that car that it still makes it hard to be a pedestrian.

At low speeds, it's not sedan cars that are a problem: even at idle, trucks and large SUVs are very loud, and accelerating from e.g. traffic lights they really roar. For busy city centers, quieting the trucks and buses (and goddam noisy-on-purpose motorcycles!) will make a big difference.

By my experience, IC engines are only quiet when the car is coasting, but not when it is accelerating or has to go uphill. Having compared the driving noises of electrical and ICE cars driving past me, the noise reduction is quite significant. Even more, when accelerating at traffic lights, or when cranking the car.

Dirt bikes and quads have pretty loud exhausts. And people with 4wd trucks like to put aftermarket exhaust on them because they think they get better performance.

Dirt bikes aren't "traffic". 4WD trucks are a regional thing, and that market will probably never be replaced by electric vehicles!

Dirt bikes, or their barely civilized moped cousins, are a significant component of traffic in some countries.

Many small island communities are plagued by these nasty little things. It's two-strokes buzzing by all day long, and each one of them is louder than twenty cars.

This sounds like a startup challenge!

Why not?

One reason: It's much easier to carry a five gallon jerry-can of gas or diesel with you when you head out into the boondocks, just in case, as opposed to spare battery packs sufficient to get you back out to civilization.

However: plug-in hybrids would be an option. (Diesel pack and fuel tank for off-grid use, electric motor and battery good for ~20-50km as well for use on short trips about town/daily commutes.)

Most of a second drivetrain, system to make them work together, a bunch of batteries and the associated weight makes a lot of sense in a harsh environment, not to mention the increased cost for something that will get the crap beaten out of it.

There's a reason oil field trucks tend to be the most minimal trim available. More stuff -> more stuff to break -> more complicated service -> waste of money. Automatic windows are a convenient but hard to justify when they cost more up front and cause more downtime over the life of the vehicle. Ditto for most other luxury features.

You know what sucks, having a Prius that won't use its electric powertrain because the software is trying to protect the integrated A/C compressor from damage because a rock kicked up by another vehicle was the straw that broke the camels back and causes the condenser to leak out refrigerant. Now imagine not being able to use half the powertrain of a pickup you're trying to do work in. See the problem? Sure you could do a different A/c system but you're probably giving up some other important performance metric (like fuel economy) or you could let it ruin the compressor (but then the customer will complain or you'll waste money replacing compressors under warranty)

GMC made a hybrid pickup. It was cool because it could be used as a power source to run tools at a jobsite. It didn't sell. They canned it.

  I'm on the waiting list for a Model 3 and plan on getting and e-bike some day http://www.ktm.com/gb/e-ride/  I own a loud KTM 300 2 stroke and a diesel truck. Tho I'll probably never sell my Harley evo, loud pipe save lives ;-)

The tires noise probably has to do with the road and tire quality. I remember walking on a quiet street in the suburbs and being very surprised by a seeing a Prius driving past me as I didnt hear it coming at all.

Truck engines?

Probably depends on the speed as well.

You can't rev an electric car when impatient. You don't have to shift gears. When using engine braking it's quietly absorbing energy, not letting out an angry BRAAPPPPP.

If you're deaf, sure, combustion engines are quiet. Otherwise they're often quite loud.

Except when they choose not to be.

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