I just heard on the news and confirmed it here that someone is proposing deliberately making hybrid cars louder, so that people can hear them coming.
So, while we are lowering pollution from hydrocarbons by using a hybrid car, we are supposed to raise noise levels? I’m sure they don’t want it to be deafening, but still, noise is noise and unnecessary noise is unnecessary.
I’m not a tree-hugger and I think a lot of the hype over hybrid cars is just hype. But the idea that 2000 pounds of glass, metal and rubber rolling down the road could sneak up on anyone who isn’t deaf, is silly. In many years of road cycling, I know first hand that you can hear a car coming long before you hear it’s engine. The sound of rubber on asphalt is unmistakable. Continue Reading…