[gdum-l] FW: Article from Boston Globe Business 2010 06 13

[Carl Richardson]

Article in Today's Globe, thought some of you might find this of interest.

Electric car sounds warning   By Washington Post      June 13, 2010 

It was quiet. Maybe too quiet. 

With advocates for pedestrians and the blind warning that hybrid and
electric cars could catch strollers unaware, the designers of the  Nissan
Leaf have added sound effects to the otherwise nearly silent vehicle. 

After exploring a hundred sounds that ranged from chimes to motorlike to
futuristic, the company settled on a soft whine that fluctuates in intensity
with the car's speed. 

When backing up, the car makes a clanging sound. 

Nissan says it worked with advocates for the blind, a Hollywood sound design
company, and acoustic psychologists in creating its system of audible
alerts. 

The Leaf is scheduled to go on sale in part of the United States in
December. 

Nissan added the artificial noise as lawmakers and regulators study whether
auto manufacturers should be required to install warning sounds in their
vehicles to alert pedestrians.