The federal government wants EVs to make some noise at low speed

This is not new even if Ars' article is. My 2013 Nissan Leaf has the VSP, Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians. It's the law, passed in the US in 2010.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle_warning_sound...

It sounds like an engine winding up. It's supposed to cut out at 18.6 mph, 30 km/h.

This is a good thing; I remember seeing my first EV, the GM EV1, in Noe Valley. I couldn't hear it as I jaywalked aimlessly in a residential neighborhood.

The law isn't new, but the final rule is new. As per the Wikipedia article you reference:

> In January 2015, the NHTSA rescheduled the date for a final ruling to the end of 2015. Since the regulation comes into force three years after being rendered as a final rule, compliance was delayed to 2018. ... A final ruling was delayed at least until mid-March 2016.

Sounds like an update is in order; the rule is finally final and compliance is now + 3 years = 2019.

That is for sure a needed design, and we've seen it in few sci fi. We are used to hear car and it's part of our safety system, EV vehicle will make a lot less noise and should definitly have recognizable sound.

If we can have a Jetsons mode.