# Making electric cars roar...or quack **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 7, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500 "2008-05-07T23:53:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Myself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@Myself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myself)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/1 "2008-05-07T23:53:41Z")
A little boy in MN was [hit by a car](http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/05/07/huppert.boy.hit.with.hybrid.kare) in front of his home by a Prius apparently because the car was running silently along on its battery. While the kid was not seriously hurt, the President of the local National Federation of the Blind said sounds should be added to electric cars to save kids, blind people, etc from such accidents. So what kinds of sounds should be used? This is my list to get us started: Roaring tigers Quacking ducks Popcorn popping (Limit three suggestions each, please.) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/2 "2008-05-08T00:19:15Z")
The first Prius I ever saw, I was almost run over by for exactly the same reason. I didn’t hear it coming. I vote for synthesized engine sounds, coordinated with the actual operation of the car. You could have a selector switch to choose the type of engine. (“I think I want to sound like a Ferrari today.”) To really confuse things, you could add Harley sounds. Are the characteristic sounds of vehicles copyrighted? ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/3 "2008-05-08T00:19:55Z")
Don’t quack, d\*mn you. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/4 "2008-05-08T00:38:50Z")
I vote for the Pac-Man noise. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/5 "2008-05-08T00:40:39Z")
The “thrumming” sound of a Star Trek warp core the “Vwmmm-Vwmmm” sound of a Cylon Centurion’s scanner eye the throaty rumble of a V8 ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/6 "2008-05-08T01:38:35Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Are the characteristic sounds of vehicles copyrighted? [/QUOTE] I believe Harley Davidson at least tried to do this. I don’t know if they succeeded or not (I seem to remember they didn’t). ---
**Author:** ![freekalette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/7 "2008-05-08T01:49:10Z")
I want one that sounds like the TARDIS. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/8 "2008-05-08T01:51:15Z")
They should sound like one [of these](http://www.fisher-price.com/us/products/product.asp?id=199). ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/9 "2008-05-08T01:56:45Z")
Or, alternatively [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKRQpkjXIrE). ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/10 "2008-05-08T02:08:22Z")
Does a Prius’s quack echo? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/11 "2008-05-08T02:10:10Z")
No, and no one knows why. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/12 "2008-05-08T03:03:23Z")
[QUOTE=Myself] … sounds should be added to electric cars to save kids, blind people, etc from such accidents. So what kinds of sounds should be used? This is my list to get us started: … … Popcorn popping [/QUOTE] Not popcorn popping… [Popcorn the song!](http://dot.kelder.net/~jones/popcorn/versions.php/) Specifically, the 1972 version by Hot Butter, and just the popcorn part, not the bass or other musical parts. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/13 "2008-05-08T03:20:22Z")
Anything but loud, thumping bass. ---
**Author:** ![Myself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@Myself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myself)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/14 "2008-05-08T03:38:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Not popcorn popping… Popcorn the song! 🆒 Or maybe “Little Duce Coupe,” “409” …except I drive an '86 Volvo. Dead man’s curve? I guess there’s no shortage of car tunes. Little Nash Rambler! What was that one about ‘not being able to get the seat belts off’? Taking little white pills and my eyes are open wide… ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/15 "2008-05-08T12:28:05Z")
This is a stupid idea to make all cars noisy. It sucks to be blind, but adding more noise pollution to the roadways and neighborhoods is not a good thing. Let’s not forget the bicycles too. Maybe we can go with a dinosaur theme. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/16 "2008-05-08T13:09:26Z")
I want a calliope on mine. Mostly 'cuz I think the word “calliope” is cool. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/17 "2008-05-08T13:20:55Z")
[QUOTE=Myself] Or maybe “Little Duce Coupe,” “409” …except I drive an '86 Volvo. [/QUOTE] That’s _Little Deuce Coupe_, FTR. I can’t believe nobody else suggesting a farting noise. I like the PacMan wocka-wocka-wocka suggestion though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/18 "2008-05-08T13:34:01Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Are the characteristic sounds of vehicles copyrighted? [/QUOTE] No, but that didn’t stop Harley for attempting to sue Honda for ‘stealing’ its ‘trademark’ engine sound when Honda came out with their 45º V-Twin Shadow. They failed - legal precedent has been set. I’ll go ahead and 3rd the PacMan sound - as long as there is occasional, brief, woo woo blue ghost periods. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/19 "2008-05-08T13:45:47Z")
A Theremin would be fitting, and hard to miss. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500/20 "2008-05-08T13:57:54Z")
Can’t we just put a playing card in the spokes of the wheel? It worked for my bicycle when I was 8. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-electric-cars-roar-or-quack/448500.md?page=2)