Electric vehicles seem to be growing in popularity lately, but from a dog’s point of view, the quiet electric operation can make it too easy for cars to sneak up on us. In an attempt to avoid running over dogs like me (or humans), the 2011 Nissan LEAF is using nifty noises to help make the car less stealthy when driving at low speeds. Yes, dogs hear at a higher decibel level than humans, but just having the noise at least gives us a chance to get out of the way.
It’s true that sometimes I like to scare my humans by acting like I’m about to run in the street, but electric cars are so quiet that I might not even be able to hear it coming. The LEAF will be one of the first EVs on sale, and it will be the first to incorporate such an audible warning.
At low speeds moving forward, the tone is at its loudest since the car is able to protect pedestrians who might be walking behind the LEAF in a parking lot. Once in drive, the tone changes slightly, but it still sounds like the high-pitched wine that comes from EV motors. In reverse, the tone chimes similar to a conventional back-up warning system used on delivery vans. All of these sounds come from a speaker mounted under the hood where the engine would be on a normal car.
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