EV Whining Sound?
- Thread starter LZXRAY
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victor_2019
Active Member
there is no such switch in the canadian market. I don't have one in my 2019 clarity.
fotomoto
Active Member
It's not an option, it's a NHSTA requirement so a dealer most likely isn't going to turn it off (if they even can). You'll most likely have to do it yourself.
Personally both my wife and I like the sound. In fact, I wish there was a way to keep it on till about 30mph when tire/road noise take over.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
Honda sourced docs say it does but they’ve been wrong before and I won’t dispute reality. I’ll just ask if you have looked at all the buttons on the two rows down where the charging port opening button is. That’s where it’s supposed to be on the Canadian models. Not very obvious and not easy to see.
Ok, so here is the screen grab from a review on a Canadian model which has the switch:
And from my car (U.S. model):
I find this interesting tidbit from a Wiki search...so there is a compliance issue perhaps with the Canadian model. I am not looking to hack into my car, but good to know if there is a option
"The Leaf's electric warning sound had to be removed for cars delivered in the UK, as the country's law mandates that any hazard warning sound must be capable of being disabled between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and the Leaf's audible warning system does not allow for such temporary deactivation."
And from my car (U.S. model):
I find this interesting tidbit from a Wiki search...so there is a compliance issue perhaps with the Canadian model. I am not looking to hack into my car, but good to know if there is a option
"The Leaf's electric warning sound had to be removed for cars delivered in the UK, as the country's law mandates that any hazard warning sound must be capable of being disabled between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and the Leaf's audible warning system does not allow for such temporary deactivation."
The Canadian Clarity's stealth mode/pedestrian surprise button is not a permanent off button. The Clarity Owners Manual says this about the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System Button:
The system is turned on every time you turn
the power system on, even if you turned it off
the last time you drove the vehicle.
The system is turned on every time you turn
the power system on, even if you turned it off
the last time you drove the vehicle.
Olive
New Member
I can confirm that I have the "off" switch for pedestrian alert on my 2019 base Canadian model. And it actually works! Not like the Honda Link app.... Hahahaha!
AlAl
Active Member
Interesting..
I saw a parameter on my shop's scan tool about the acoustic alert system. I wonder if I switch to Canadian market region, I'd gain access to disabling the noise; though changing it would be
petteyg359
Well-Known Member
Interesting..
I saw a parameter on my shop's scan tool about the acoustic alert system. I wonder if I switch to Canadian market region, I'd gain access to disabling the noise; though changing it would be
It's obviously an electric speaker and not an air horn, so it's probably as simple as locating the speaker and splicing a toggle switch into either line to break the circuit. Or you could get fancy and wire up an amp and microphone into the cabin so you can repurpose it to yell at bad drivers
Deaf people ought to be using their eyes to be aware of their surroundings in parking lots (which is the only place the sound happens), blind people shouldn't be walking alone in parking lots anyway because there are other things than cars to trip them up, and we should stop misdirecting evolution to favor the dumb. If somebody is too dumb to not get run over by a vehicle going under 17 mph... Even without an ICE, a car is not silent. Gravel and rocks in between tire treads make noise, too, as do any imperfect road surfaces, blaring music, etc.
jdonalds
Well-Known Member
I would like to have an on/off switch for the pedestrian warning. My reason is there are times when I'm slowly driving through a busy parking lot (like CostCo) and there are people walking in the lane. I don't want them to think I'm pushing them. I'm quite happy to go slowly and only advance when they move out of the way on their own. In that case I find the sound (not just the Clarity but any other car required to make a sound) to be aggressive. I'm fine if the sound reengages each time I power the car up, I just want a button to turn it off for a time.
Mowcowbell
Well-Known Member
Or give the owner a chance to select his own pedestrian warning sound. I'd choose the sound of the flying cars from the Jetsons. 
Louis Nisenbaum
Member
I would not to be cross examined about turning off the pedestrian warning if I hit a pedestrian.
sad, but true. The personal liability could be high, including ramifications from gross negligence (can be criminal) to insurance problems/costs, and civil liability. This is more so if wires have been tampered with, e.g. adding a switch, or cutting the wires and taping them.
Many ICE vehicles are almost as quiet now. I certainly don't want to hit any person, but the sounds seem kind of useless, not much different than tire noise as someone noted earlier. I imagine blind people are pretty attuned to sounds like tire noise alone.
Sandroad
Well-Known Member
Maybe, but the least common denominator sound might be a beep, which would be horrible.
MNSteve
Well-Known Member
I am struggling to express my disappointment with your statement without breaking the rules of the forum.
The reason for the warning sound is to alert people with poor vision that there is a car in close proximity, although it also works with oblivious pedestrians who have perfect vision. The fact that it happens to be the law in the US is a contributing factor but just as there are better reasons for wearing a seat belt than obeying the law, there are good reasons not to disable the warning sound.
Here's an experiment you can try that might make you appreciate why that sound is mandated. Close your eyes on a busy street corner and use senses other than your vision to determine when it is safe to cross the street. It is important that our car be detectable at slow speeds; otherwise it is a hazard.
Or maybe you just expect everyone with a vision impairment to stay at home or always have a sighted guide.
How effective are the artificial EV sounds, and what sounds are most helpful to those most at risk? What volume? Can artificial EV sounds be heard on busy streets?
A related (but different) example is how during the W years, it was mandated that all US trains blow their horns four times at every RR crossing. How many millions of people are now more sleep deprived, more anxious? How many of those sleep deprived folks get into more accidents?
I am certainly not disagreeing with the morality angle, but every one of these types of fixes comes with some balance and question of effectiveness.
Particularly as cars may someday communicate to each other, I could see a day when a person at risk (e.g. blind, vision impaired) carries a little device, maybe in a pocket, that alerts them to a nearby moving vehicle.
A related (but different) example is how during the W years, it was mandated that all US trains blow their horns four times at every RR crossing. How many millions of people are now more sleep deprived, more anxious? How many of those sleep deprived folks get into more accidents?
I am certainly not disagreeing with the morality angle, but every one of these types of fixes comes with some balance and question of effectiveness.
Particularly as cars may someday communicate to each other, I could see a day when a person at risk (e.g. blind, vision impaired) carries a little device, maybe in a pocket, that alerts them to a nearby moving vehicle.
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