Earth Equity News

Hybrid Cars May Feature Fake Vrooom! for Safety. By Jim Motavalli, October 14, 2009. "Plug-in hybrid and electric cars, it turns out... aren't noisy enough. Safety experts, worried that hybrids pose a threat if pedestrians, children and others can't hear them approaching, want automakers to supply some digitally enhanced vroom. Indeed, just as cell phones have ring tones, 'car tones' may not be far behind -- an option for owners of electric vehicles to choose the sound their cars emit. Working with Hollywood special-effects wizards, some hybrid auto companies have started tinkering in sound studios, rather than machine shops, to customize engine noises."