I do understand that those purchasing a luxury vehicle have different expectations. Those in sedans appreciate cabin silence more than others.
I have a feeling that this is part of the source of some of the ridiculous "I've been driving my car and the brakes are magically broken" stories involving people who have run their pads and rotors down to bare metal and wonder why they didn't realize this was happening. Same goes for oil leaks, knocking, worn belts, etc.
We have a huge number of drivers in the US, and the 99% have absolutely no clue what the hell is going on with an item they use on a daily basis, hurtling down the freeway with 3000 pounds of steel at 70 mph.
How often have you checked the quality of your drinking water? By your standard, you have no clue what the hell is going on with a substance you use on a daily basis and put into your body.
How much do you know about the supply chain of the food you eat? Do you ever use commercial rail or air travel?
Globalized civilization makes life too complex for anyone to know what the hell is going on with each thing they use on a daily basis.
I'm talking about awareness of an object with which you can end someones life with a mistake/ poor upkeep, and be 100% directly responsible. It is, at this point, ones duty to do everything rational to prevent that possibility.
Just like your travel example: The pilot should (and does hopefully) know exactly what the state of the plane is. There is a reason that pre-flight checklist exists.
The "out-of-touch boomer" judgment is just petty. credibility--;
I humbly submit that you haven't listened to the right music.
I'm sure it can be done but the question is whether someone wants it. Many in that class would probably adjust quicker to the silence of EV's than a lie.
Do keep in mind that engine noise is not only beneficial to the driver but cyclists, other motorists and at crosswalks as well.
It's not a problem that is easily solved and satisfied by all parties.
As a pedestrian, I disagree. Cars make far too much noise. People will adapt to them being quieter by using their eyes and looking both ways. I look forward to the day when living in a city doesn't mean hearing a constant drone of traffic.
Cars are smaller than trains.
No, seriously, I think you do the blind a disservice. I don't think that blind people rely on, "Hey, did I hear something" to mean, "I can blithely cross the street without danger."
We have to do everything in our power to make sure cars don't have "ringtones".
May I present the sounds of a Ferrari Formula 1 V12 from 1994. Turn up your speakers. Get a hair brush ready. All of your body hair will stand up as the wonderful sound of God's engine crawls up under your skin and makes your essence tingle in pleasure. You might want to smoke a cigarette afterwards.
I think you're projecting your own emotional attachment to speed onto a very unpleasant sound.
I've completely flipped my thinking on this. Once you start to look at some cars and motorcycles not as vehicles, but as musical instruments, the emotional response and the economics start to make more sense.
If these enthusiasts could pipe the engine noise into their cabin and muffle it outside, I'd be a lot more sympathetic.
Isn't this the reason why Ferrari is saying they have no interest in producing an electric car?
Yuck. If that's a geek dream, I'll take the nightmare. Smartphone app? Beautiful graphs? I want raw data over RS-232, csv, text/plain, not opaque layers of App Stores and flashy (unreusable) charts.
The Model S seems like a car from the future. Forget the fact that it's completely electric and charges via an alien-like, glowing plug. The interior with the large, beautiful touch screen, a voice-activated system (that, contrary to Siri, actually works) coupled with access to the internet, and the gorgeous trim and accents really make the Tesla a standout.
Moreover, it's every geek's dream. You can remotely control the car with a smartphone app, monitor the car's efficiency and performance via beautiful graphs, and even have presets for charging cycles.
Best of all, the pickup is like none other (as one would imagine). Flooring it in a Tesla has a completely different meaning. Pure acceleration and no roaring engine noise.
I think it goes without saying that I'm very excited about this company.