Toshiyuki Tabata spent 30 years as a Nissan Motor Co. engineer trying to make gasoline-powered cars quieter. Now he’s consulting music composers to make electric cars noisier — and safer.
Electric and hybrid cars, with little or no engine noise, are lauded for their silence, yet some groups including advocates for the blind say pedestrians may fail to notice them approaching.
To address those safety concerns, transportation agencies in the United States and Japan may mandate artificial sounds for the vehicles.
“We fought for so long to get rid of that noisy engine sound,” said Tabata, Nissan’s noise and vibration expert. “With electric cars, we took a completely different approach and listened to composers talk music theory.”
Carmakers including Nissan and Toyota Motor Corp., manufacturer of the Prius gasoline-electric hybrid, are researching sound as more silent models come to market.
Nissan will start selling its Leaf electric car next year in the U.S., Japan and Europe next year, while General Motors Co. plans to introduce its extended range electric Chevy Volt in late 2010. Toyota will introduce a battery-powered vehicle in 2012.
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