Are Hybrid Cars Too Quiet?

[oohshinythings]

look at all you eco-warriors. fuck blind people, we HAVE to save the environment. youre all bastards

[OscarBrasa]

Blind people shouldnt be in traffic when its not raining... blind people can see in the rain, right?

[ZJlover1994]

Are these people serious. People BITCH about cars that are too loud now too quiet WTF.

[GoranB2010]

@ZJlover1994 The hybrid/electric vehicle to operate quietly until a pedestrian needs to hear it. The automotive companies spend millions of dollars to keep the cars QUIET, PASS only allows noise when it's necessary this is why it should be on demand, FYI Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Hills, Michigan has 2 system that they have been using for 2 years for training. but I am the inventor of PASS SYSTEMS so I am Bias, go to my you tube and see it

[nrdesign1991]

"An alert that can be heard by people nearby."

IT'S ALREADY BEEN INVENTED, IT'S THE HORN!

[linkxx11]

@nrdesign1991 HA!

[200twistatwista]

Just make it where all the hybrids need a aftermarket muffler it will drone more and make it audiable sheesh : )

[IWannabeJew]

Why don't they just clothespin a playing card to the spokes?!

[spol07]

We should manufacture our cars to be loud enough so that even the deaf people can hear it.

[jerrysjunk]

lol what a load of crap

[zelgadiss]

whoa!!whoa!!whoa!!whoa!!whoa!!­whoa!!

how come no one ever complain how they can't hear a car pass by around down town. i practically can't hear em. There are plenty other stuff going on than just car.

[Chocochoco3838]

I have good hearing but with my back to traffic I have had near misses with silent hybrids. So it is not just the blind. If you have strips that generate noise vibrations only near crosswalks that would not add to excessive noise pollution in city traffic.

[zZZzzzSnooze2nd]

@Chocochoco3838 He he he!! 

[MMSZoli]

I hate the noise the cars generating. Every summer evening I try to rest or speak a little with my wife at open windows, some crazy guys come with their turbo-noise gazoline machinces and kill every other people's rest around the area. Do you like it? I suppose not. Noise is not the definite environment you want and can live, continuous background noise will have imapct on your health. We should have more silnet technology, but at the same time take care of handicapped people too.

[tucsondog]

naw, turbos are to whiny... nothin like a good old v8 with glasspacks and headers...the best part is setting off car alarms as you go bye... ahhhh

[racoonpooon]

fuck yeah!! i don't know whats with all these pussy guys now days that whine about cars being too loud. whatever happened to men being men and driving brute powerful cars. leave the hybrids for the girls; let your balls drop and drive a real car to all you pusses out there.

[CPUOverclocker64]

@racoonpooon I certainly hope you're joking. The real pussies are those that need to hide their inadequacies behind "purchased muscle". And, yes, I am annoyed by the asshole with the Firebird and straight pipes who seems to think it is acceptable to race around the block at two in the morning pissing everyone else off.

Apparently, people are annoyed at not being annoyed.

[racoonpooon]

@CPUOverclocker64 i certainly am not kidding. hiding inadequacies? i guess it's better to be a pompous prick constantly reminding everyone that you're saving the world with your hybrid. really; how big is your ego after you buy a hybrid? "look at me, i bought a hybrid, suck my fucking cock now!!!" i drive loud cars because that's the way they should be. i bet you also complain about loud lawnmowers and birds chirping too loud. what about when pins drops? is that too loud for you too? bitch.

[tonylee1973]

i smell the oil lobby. and its whores in congress

[emforty2]

an elephant walking down the road is also quiet

especially if your deaf

[bearnurse1]

I also would imagine that there will be an increase in people getting electrocuted trying to plug in or unplug their plug hybrid cars in the pouring rain.

[sixiota]

Comments on this video makes me sick.

Get rid of blind and handicapped people?!!! Damn.... I didn't know there were so many Hitler wannabes.

[SirTragain]

The problem as I understand it is that a blind person walking across the street could perhaps though with uncertainty and highly unlikely and yet there is the remote possibility (like being hit from a falling piano) walk into an electric or hybrid car that has stopped at the light. OK, that would mean the driver is parked in the cross walk. What about a person on a bicycle; a blind person could just as easily walk into them. Lets save all the bicyclists too

[SirTragain]

People get hit by cars all the time and they arent blind or deaf!

[SirTragain]

A blind person has a cane, Seeing Eye dog, or both to compensate or function better in the world that surrounds them. Laws do not need to be passed and tax payers money wasted. Innovative ideas can come from the private sector and special interest groups; that is what they are for.

[SirTragain]

small stripes can be put on the road, generate some vibration/noise; but now we have the chance to have better towns with less noise. hmmm add strips that make noise = towns with less noise????

[MMSZoli]

Guys, this is soooo easy. There are small stripes can be put on the road, generate some vibration/noise (actually used in Europe to warn car drivers and to slow them down). These yellow stripes should be installed at almost every zebra. Cerainly it would cost money, but now we have the chance to have better towns with less noise. Why we want to kill this chance? I do agree to help people have handicaps, but does not mean that we should make the life of the rest like hell with noisy cars.

[AngeloB2008]

We do not need the hybrid car to sound off all the time, just when a Blind person is in the area... I have heard of a company from Michigan that makes a device called P.A.S.S, Which emits noise from a Hybrid car only when a Blind person is in the area.... I saw this last month in downtown ROCHESTER, MI... (Where I live) I wish I could talk to the guys that were doing the test to get more info... but saw Creative Performance on the shirt

Angelo

[edude03]

God, Americans are seriously dumb. Why are you people always making arguements over stupidity. Actually thats not fair, I just hate the AP they are dumbasses

[Charles2337]

Add a cat back exhaust to them or get a really loud audio system :D

[keno0bi]

Omg americans are retard!!SO this is the problem with hybrid cars??blind people cant hear them??

ok I'lL tell you this,mobile phones affects people with pacemakers..damn!!!know we have to ban mobile phones or make them create less electromagnetic radiation..-JUST THINK- only 1.3 million in the united states are blind..

[erichau728]

*thumbs up*

I couldn't have said it better myself...

Pssh... Let global warming take them down =o=

[jeka100]

yes yes electric cars are bad bad, says auto industry we need more pollution from gas cars; electric cars are bad bad; but for me, my next car will be electric period; they can put these pseudo problems where the sun dont shine as far as I am concerned

[acandterra]

so put a flipping radio speaker on the outside with a car noise going constantly. also the hybrid cars aint that fuel efficient. the toyota prius only gets 45miles to the gallon. my rover 600 diesel gets 60miles to the gallon, so as it uses less fuel doesn't that mean it is polluting less? i don't know please someone enlighten me. thanks

[Nickshark1982]

Well you cant cater for everyone. Besides they can get a guide dog!

[banbassers1]

There's no such thing as too quiet. Me, I'm tired of the boom cars that thud through our neighborhoods. Get rid of them and you'll hear the hybrids just fine...

[Kacie31]

Soulfree: I believe the blind carry cane s to avoid that situation. Plus, the extent of the possible injuries are hardly comparable.

[Kacie31]

Soulfree: I represent myself and my family--and silent cars are a concern for all pedestrians. If you say you've never walked into the strreet without looking (conciously or unconciously relying on your hearing) you'd be lying. I have a small child, and I'm concerned that he may run into the street based on the fact that he didn't hear a car and be hit by a hybrid. It is a very real issue--just ask the bicyclists who have nearly been hit. Ask pedestrians who've nearly been hit.

[Kacie31]

Soulfree: 40% closer does not necessarily equate to 40% louder. Perhaps some more schooling would help with your perception.

[Kacie31]

Soulfree: Clearly you don't pay attention either. The cars merely need to be as loud as a regular car. Research people!  If used correctly it can keep you from looking like a total idiot.

[rainonmyface]

why don't you just put playing cards on the tires?

[DanFrederiksen]

it's simple. drivers need to be aware when they drive... it's not exactly a novel concept

[DanFrederiksen]

if you just roll a combustion car in idle it makes plenty noise. most of the noise of a car at low speed comes from the tires. if a blind person can't hear an electric car rolling by (as this piece of shit reports purports) he's deaf too. and naturally he can't hear it when not moving but that's fucking amazingly irrelevant! we don't need a fucking alert sound on electric cars. should we have noise on curbs too so they don't trip over those? and bicycles? and stairs... idiot reporters

[Kacie31]

They can't hear them until they are 40% closer than a regular car--making it more difficult to get out of the way. And drivers don't always pay attention. Clearly you don't or you would already know this.

[DanFrederiksen]

I was well aware of the claim in this video. doesn't make it true.

and when drivers don't pay attention, people get killed. doesn't mean we should put sirens on our fucking cars

[Kacie31]

Where did it say anything about sirens? Are you insane? You are certainly coming across that way. And I know that the claim in this video is true--I've seen it.

[Rymac91]

The cars really are silent when in electric mode(I enjoy sneaking up on animals and people and then honking the horn), because the engine isn't spinning fast or hard enough to make any noticeable noise. Also, the tire don't produce enough noise unless your turning something like a corner. I'd like you to be blindfolded and put in front of a prius while it's running solely on electric.

[DanFrederiksen]

is it more quiet than an ICE car moving with its engine off? if the tires are also different then they start to get quiet but even if they were impossible to hear we shouldn't add sound for the blind. imagine what we would have to do to get the attention of those both blind and deaf. drivers pay attention and so do the blind when walking in traffic. we are not going to polute the world with needless noise to cater to some attention craving blind people. maybe car transponders or computer eyes

[Kacie31]

Dan, the more you write, the more unitelligent you seem. An ice car? Really? That's your argument?

Again, the cars only need to be as loud as regular cars. There will not be sirens added to the cars. They do not need to beep. They just need to sound like cars. Noise pollution indeed. It seems to me that if you can speak you add a great deal to the noise pollution in the world.

Do your research. Grow a brain.  Then perhaps we can discuss.

[DanFrederiksen]

hehe actually I'm quite the genius. ICE means internal combustion engine in this context.

If you did a little thinking you might realize how heavenly a difference it would be in new york for instance if instead of constant polution of both noise and air you would have bicycle level sound and mountain air. it really is quite insane to suggest we maintain those noise levels to cater to a very very small number of people. think a little honey

[pj8guy]

FUCKING HYBRID CARS!!!

I almost got killed like 20 times by the stupid thing!

God damn thing was backing out as i was standing right in front of it. (also the drivers fault for not seeing me until the last second).

Toyota was to stupid to put a backup beeping system in it, just like the trucks but they can make it more quiet!

Thats the only fuck up with the Preis (sorry for spelling)

[Rymac91]

It's funny, the Prius does beep when in reverse...but only on the inside, making it pointless, so most people have disabled the beep because it's annoying as hell to the driver and does nothing for people walking. You can easily put a reverse beep by replacing one of the lights with one that beeps.

[murtleman224]

what a speaker that makes it sound like a real car is a hard answer

[Fidokrab]

I RATHER see people have quiet cars than those noisy cars with the same decibels as an F-15 up close, even higher. I'm serious.

[Kacie31]

The decibel level would be that of a regular car, which is not very loud.

[Oneshot112]

Oh great, make hybrid cars even more expensive.

Thanks a lot blind people.

[Kacie31]

Oneshot: it really shouldn't be a financial burden. The change would actualy be pretty inexpensive. What would be expensive is if states had different regulations--that's why a federal standard is the way to go.

[Oneshot112]

Understood.

[ikekll]

I'm all for assuring the handicap's needs are met. Corporate has a long way to go in addressing access into public bldgs and a host of other issues.

[KeevayMusic]

PRAYER FOR AMERICA....the Controversial Video from Mysterious CATMAN COHEN

"Let them breathe the noxious fumes that result from their gas-guzzling profits, let them grow nauseous at the sight of rotten brown air, let them battle the cancers and tumors that afflict the denizens of the smog, let them be denied any further refuge from their 'auto pollution crimes' and let them fully realize that there can be no escape from L.A. air-quality Hell until they manufacture a vehicular Savior."

[KeevayMusic]

PRAYER FOR AMERICA....the Controversial Video from Mysterious CATMAN COHEN

"If I could be a benevolent dictator for a single day, I would legislate that all auto executives in America MUST live and work in downtown Los Angeles until such time that they create a viable clean energy car."

[bat6966]

get ride of blinds peoples not Hybrid Cars...

[Kacie31]

"get ride of blinds peoples not Hybrid Cars..."

This is wisdom at it's finest. Too bad your spelling and grammar is so pathetic.

[rubigoz]

/watch?v=8XCMRCbjNDY

[Y0UTUBEISGAYDICK]

fart. jus because of a handful of blind pedestrians shouldnt disrupt the entire industry and traffic or encouraging noise pollution.

[sixyears]

in the tv show weeds the drug dealers bought a prius for drive by's cause it was so quite :P

[MrDoomBringer]

So they're going to put car alarms on cars that are on all the time?

[Kacie31]

*sigh* No. They are going to make them sound like regular cars. It's a pretty low decible change.

Good heavens. Car alarms. *rolling eyes*

[MrDoomBringer]

Heh, kidding. Noisemakers will be interesting. I wonder how long it will take them to make custom sounds..?

[skylinegtrz]

PENIS! I said penis on the Associated Press. HAHAHA! PENIS!!

VAGINA!!! hahaha boobies!! butt!! haha!

[MountainTopMatt]

Can you say LOSER!!

[skylinegtrz]

I can! Can you? It's actually quite a simple word. You just have to sound it out. If you find any other difficult words, I suggest you ask your elementary school teacher or your mommy or daddy instead of asking random people on the internet. Have a good day little buddy, you'll get through that 1st grade English class!

[sierra0318]

this is a bunch of shit that is why we have horns!

[KanzlerM]

People don't drive around honking their horns.

I'm gonna laugh in a few years when all the schmucks with hibrids are paying a fortune to have them hauled off to the toxic waste facility after they wear out & have to be disposed of (they are worse for enviro than SUV's)

[Kacie31]

The ignorance in these comments is astounding. Try doing some research people! It's apparent that most of you do not know a single person who is blind.

Regardless, this is an issue for ALL pedestrians. If any of you say that you've never stepped into the road without looking first, you would be outright lying. We ALL use our ears when we are in the street or parking lot--we don't always look. As a parent, I find this issue to be troubling--my child may not always look first. I don't.

[Kacie31]

Use your horns? Okay. That won't add to the noise pollution (That was sarcasm for those of you who can't keep up).

And it should give the pedestrian plenty of time to get out of the way--considering that most drivers don't use their horns soon enough for a CAR to get out of the way, never mind someone on foot.

[MertensCW]

Fear not jptrekker I've found a solution that requires no study, as mentioned by ArsenicDrone .

USE YOUR HORNS!

Holy shit man, at this rate we may de-evolve at a faster rate than we evolved.

[jptrekker]

Well, they've found a way to kill the hybrids and protect the oil companies--HYBRID CARS KILL BLIND PEOPLE!

[jptrekker]

and that is a crock of s***!

[Kacie31]

Who said anything about hybrids being banned? Nobody! They just need to emit a sound that is no louder than a regular car. Do your research.

[jptrekker]

Well, they've found a way to kill the hybrids and protect the oil companies--HYBRID CARS KILL BLIND PEOPLE!

[gismotech]

your stupid hybrid care that cost 7000 dollars just to replace the batteries the nickel is mined in canada shipped to eourpe processed shipped to china makes the batteries shipped to japan put in the cars shipped here, Which means you wasted more energy just getting the car than a hummer

[historywillabsolve]

thats stupid. what if i like my car to be silent.

[ikekll]

This is a crock-follow the money and the intention. Someone wanting to make it touch on hybrid cars. Who are these "lawmakers?"

Congressman John Lewis is one...who are the others jumping on board?

[ikekll]

...make it tough

[TheNeophyte13]

my car is loud lol

fake engine sounds pumping through the cars sound system is going to be the new thing for ricers.

[GammatronTriode]

for the rest of us quiet is better

and please note

if all cars are more quiet

then the quiet cars will be easier to hear

they can't hear the quiet cars for the din

of all the noisy cars

get up early in the moning go out in to your back

yard and try to hear the bird songs

over the back round noise of thousands of cars

[ArsenicDrone]

They're already adding alerts that can be heard by nearby people to cars. This breakthrough is called the "horn."

[UGoBooMBooM]

haha nice.

[primetimeafp]

just another excuse for congress to get more money.

[Schnugg]

More sighted people are killed by high powered autos than blind people by hybrids...should we ban high powered cars???

This is too freakin' stupid...

[neotoy]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but what the hell are blind people doing walking around busy city streets without someone to watch their back? Seems like suicide to me.

[SoraRoxasdude1]

yea how the hell are you going to get someplace anyways!!

[aarohazel]

leave hybrids alone!

[crazycatfguy]

I have been wondering for months when this issue would come up.

[crazycatfguy]

Also wondering about hydrogen fuel cell cars. Dripping water onto asphalt makes it slippery does it not?

[Riggro]

no need, hybrids and phasing out.

[DanFrederiksen]

how do you figure that? as I see it it's on the increase in a major way and only to become more electrical and less combustiony

[Riggro]

electrical is not the answer yet. battery technology is still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa­y too infant. battery reliability, and efficiency still has a long way to go. and let's say we stick to the contemporary palette of materials batteries are made out of. we would be polluting the planet even more than if we continued using "combustiony" engines. hydrogen technology will PROBABLY replace hydrocarbon technology because you can run either using the same powerplant.

[DanFrederiksen]

it's amazing how many have taken a swim in the cesspool of lies that big oil has put out. something so fantastically stupid as to claim that a hummer is more environmentally friendly than a prius and you swallow it up without a second thought. why? why?

one of the most interesting existing chemistries, that for instance the GM Volt is considering, is lithium iron phosphate, something you could probably eat and be fine. battery electric cars are coming everywhere. think a little. wont kill you

[Riggro]

I don't care about no damn big oil company, but I see the bullshit of the hybrid technology.

[Riggro]

also the only mechanism that hybrids have to actually make the economic advantage is in the power recovery they do from braking. all of the other stuff, like aiding the engine (ECVT) and crap is complete bullshit. do the math, you cannot create or destroy energy, so the energy in the batteries either comes from the "work" the engine makes or from the braking recovery system. energy from the "work" of the engine burns fuel. so you just took milk from one jug onto another and spilled some.

[DanFrederiksen]

you have taken it upon yourself to spew any and all conceivable ignorant thought on this matter. a normal combustion engine wastes something like 70-90% of the energy in the fuel. it's not a matter of findig energy that isn't there, it's a case of being just a little bit less super wasteful. the way it's done is by the near 100% efficient electric motor helping the engine stay in its most efficient rpm range. Prius uses around 5 times less fuel than a pos Hummer H1. EVs are 3 times better still

[Riggro]

damn you call me ignorant and you don't even know an internal combustion engine running on hydrocarbons is only 20% efficient! do some research man, and look at things using common sense. using hydrogen might make it a bit more efficient but I don't know how much at the moment. batteries are 70%-90% charge-discharge efficient. BTW I'm not defending SUVs at all, I hate those fucking behemoths for their crappy handling mostly. I hate hybrids because of crappy handling too.

[DanFrederiksen]

you run with a lot of misconceptions and unfortunately combined with a panic fear of slowing down enough to realize your mistakes.

if an engine wastes 80% of the energy is perhaps that the same as 20% efficient?

[Riggro]

I had misread you and I apologize, I thought you said a internal combustion engine had 80% efficiency. so, I do realize my mistakes. but I stand behind everything I said. do a little bit of research. look at the weight of the prius vs the weight of the mini cooper (for test sake) look at the other aspects as the economy of both. look at their performance. and before you say anything about performance I don't just mean horsepower. look at the cold hard facts.

[DanFrederiksen]

it's good you admit one mistake. you should perhaps say you stand by everything ELSE you said and not that you stand by everything despite just admitting a mistake.

can you stipulate that a Hummer H1 uses 5 times as much fuel as a Prius?

[Riggro]

I've heard of that article but not read it myself. but I know how they got to that conclusion. yet as far as I know the test was made using a H2 if I'm not mistaken.

[DanFrederiksen]

try to answer the question. then find some real numbers and tell me how much more fuel an H2 uses than a Prius.

[Riggro]

the article does not talk about the fuel consumption but rather about the accumulative cost of manufacturing, operation, and useful life of either vehicle. this is actually unfair for the Prius (which does use less fuel than the h2) because the prius' light weight construction and flaky technology make it more costly to produce and less durable. and basically what that study shows is that the money it saves in fuel does not offset the other cost. they also say that a scion xb is a better choice.

[DanFrederiksen]

how much less fuel does a Prius use? give me a factor, if you pleasssse

[Riggro]

H2= 6mpg 6.2L 393hp curb weight 6614lbs 16.8lbs/hp Prius= 48mpg 1.5L 76hp (120 assisted) curb weight 2392lbs. power to weight ratio 38.6lb/hp now, since those are very different vehicles (both suck ass) I'm throwing in a real competitor for the prius :)

mini cooper: 32mpg, 1.6L 118hp, curb weight 2634lbs (heavier than I thought it would be) power to weight ratio 22.3lbs/hp. and let me say that the mini is probably the safest vehicle of the bunch with the best driving performance.

[DanFrederiksen]

would that be a factor 8?

as in the prius could drive 8000km on the same fuel the H2 would need to drive only 1000km. quite a difference wouldn't you say. perhaps they were lying when they said the Hummer is more environmentally friendly that the Prius. just maybe

[Riggro]

damn dude. are you cherrypicking what I'm writing? did you not read the part where I said the article referred to the cost of producing, operating and useful life of the vehicle. (which by the way I don't belive it) BTW I watched both the inconvenient truth, and the global warming swindle. and did some research myself. co2 is not the enemy bro, sorry.

[Riggro]

now give me this from each car please! I want weight distribution front and back of each car, I want slalom times and braking distance from 60mph. this test will show which car is the best car all around.

BTW I now realize you are a green hippie, dude, do some research, you will find out a lot of misconceptions about global warming. BTW I lived in nashville and saw Gore's house, it is true, it's freaking huge!

[Riggro]

eco tires paired up with a light weight construction body (which makes it flexible (not good in cars)) and all of the weight in the front makes for a very unstable vehicle. (heavy understeer) now look at most of the regular models that are hybrids and look at their fuel efficiencies vs that of lightweight vehicles with a single powerplant.

BTW the future is hydrogen whether we like it or not. big oils (not to be left out of the loop) are developing techniques to absorb H from petrol as we speak.

[Riggro]

BTW the help the electric motor does to the engine by keeping it at it's most efficient RPM range is minimal, and nullified by having to haul two powerplants and, of course having the engine tunned to run at constant rpms it means that when the engine does have to work outside of it's constant range (when the batteries are depleted), it suffers.

now, I agree with you in the fact that we have to be less wasteful. I just don't agree hybrids are the solutions because I've seen past the hype. :)

[Riggro]

so the only energy "recovered" that normal cars CANNOT recover (and the sole reason hybrids make their slight advantage in efficiency) is braking. this is the reason that on long droned out highway trips of several hours, the advantage held by a hybrid vanishes.

come on! we all learned this in high school physics, it's basic stuff! think about it, hybrids only make about 20 mpg more than a small vehicle, say, mini cooper. why? shouldn't they be craaaazy efficient according with all the HIGHTECH?

[joneddy1z]

I'm with intracoast on this one, seriously, it's one of those "everyone likes it but 1/10000000 could get hurt"!! omg the world's dangerous when your blind? no way?!?

[pieandbo]

Really?? It is?? Sarcasm is fun.

[nitrosportman]

survival of the fittest

darwinism at work

mother nature will find a way to wead out the weak

[MountainTopMatt]

"wead out the weak" like the ones who cannot spell weed!!!!

[nitrosportman]

wow, didn't know this was a spelling test!!!

insert sarcasm

blind lions don't last long what makes you think a blind person should? its the laws of nature

[nitrosportman]

wow, didn't know this was a spelling test!!!

insert sarcasm

blind lions don't last long what makes you think a blind person should? its the laws of nature

[ikekll]

"Lawmakers are stepping in to address the issue."

hmmmmm

[ajaxouch]

what an interesting problem!

[intracoast]

Really stupid. Total waste of government money even to look into this.