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An old whimsical wish for slow speed sound effects

Mr_funnypuns

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So in the early days of Hybrids (2001/2002), we Prius owners used to think about how to create a slow speed sound effect as a safety function, so when the cars operated on pure electric, unwary pedestrians were made a little safer. We used to speculate about favorite sound effect. Mine in order of preference were:

1) “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” car sound effect (CHKA CHKA PSH PSH)
2) Kinght Rider/Cylon Scanner sound efffect( Wooh Woooh)
3) Jetsons Car sound effect (pbebebebebebebe)

Someone at Rivian who likes whimsy and safety.... please think about giving me an external speaker that I can program with sounds.... slow speed sound, custom horn sound, custom car finder sound, custom security sound.

Anyone else want to add their two cents in? This was a spirited discussion 20 years ago.
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aAlpine

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Externally emitted sounds by EVs will be required by regulation in the US after Sept 2020 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle_warning_sounds#United_States

I don't think the regulation specifies what sound though ;) My request for a gag sound effect would be a coconut horse haha:

On a more serious note, I would also very much want to have an option to disable it for off-road purposes, as any sort of drone or hum would get very annoying for the extended periods of time under 30 kph. And I want to point out to Rivian folks that there's no regulation for noisy EVs in Canada yet.
 
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Mr_funnypuns

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I know about the regulation. It’s actually a disappointment to lose the quiet operation of the car. I like the absence of noise. Though I do understand its need. So as long as I’ve got an external speaker... lets do more with it. Biggest Bluetooth speaker for your iPhone you’ve ever seen?

And yes... the sound effect will need an “off” switch. Maybe a a hidden configuration menu would do the job. In any case... assume Rivian has it in hand.
 

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Hmp10

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A person who is stepping into a vehicle travel lane in a parking lot or anywhere else and is not paying enough attention to see an approaching EV is probably also not paying enough attention to heed the very subdued engine noises at low speeds of most new ICE's.
 

electruck

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A person who is stepping into a vehicle travel lane in a parking lot or anywhere else and is not paying enough attention to see an approaching EV is probably also not paying enough attention to heed the very subdued engine noises at low speeds of most new ICE's.
I agree 100% with your statement. However, you can't assume that everyone walking through a parking lot or crossing a street can actually see anything. Both vehicle types present a danger to my visually impaired wife and her Seeing Eye Dog and I welcome the application of technology and regulation to keep them both safe.
 

electruck

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2) Kinght Rider/Cylon Scanner sound efffect( Wooh Woooh)
It's funny you mention these as the sound effect could also be accompanied by the matching LED animation in the front light bar. Wonder if this might show up as a Rivian Easter Egg?
 
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Mr_funnypuns

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It's funny you mention these as the sound effect could also be accompanied by the matching LED animation in the front light bar. Wonder if this might show up as a Rivian Easter Egg?
If it could only be so. Think about all the possibilities for customization if the light bar doubled as an RGB dot matrix display. So far i’ve Only seen two modes: green and white.

But truly, truly I tell you: IF they animated the light bar and did the Wooh woooh sound.... I would be the envy of every other geek that grew up in the eighties... it would be the gimmick of the year!!!
 

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Hmp10

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I agree 100% with your statement. However, you can't assume that everyone walking through a parking lot or crossing a street can actually see anything. Both vehicle types present a danger to my visually impaired wife and her Seeing Eye Dog and I welcome the application of technology and regulation to keep them both safe.
I had not thought about your wife's situation, and I certainly understand your point.

It's odd though. I spend a lot of time walking or biking on my road which dead-ends in a swamp rookery preserve. A lot of cars drive by slowly as occupants look at the lake. Often the engine noise in almost undetectable. It's actually the tire noise that I hear. Twice I've been passed by Teslas and been surprised to find that, with their tire noise, they are not less noisy than ICE cars driving at similar speeds. This changes, of course, if the ICE vehicle begins to accelerate.

Perhaps it's because our road is a gravel and tar hardtop on which tires make more noise than on other surfaces. However, I've also noticed that in the asphalt parking lot of the grocery store, I often don't hear ICE cars. (I'm in my late 60s but had my hearing tested recently due to a bout of tinnitus. It actually tested at near optimal and well above average for a person of my age.)
 
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Mr_funnypuns

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If it could only be so. Think about all the possibilities for customization if the light bar doubled as an RGB dot matrix display. So far i’ve Only seen two modes: green and white.

But truly, truly I tell you: IF they animated the light bar and did the Wooh woooh sound.... I would be the envy of every other geek that grew up in the eighties... it would be the gimmick of the year!!!
The latest fully charged video illustrates animation in the light bar(s),
 

skyote

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The latest fully charged video illustrates animation in the light bar(s),
I hadn't seen the green LED bar on the back until the new video!
 

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Looping the first 7 seconds of the actual knight rider theme song would be pretty rad.



I would also be partial to a tie fighter howl. Especially in stop and go traffic.
 
 




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