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Epiphany: Auto Alliance

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by bwilson4web, Jun 30, 2010.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Al Gore wrote in "An Inconvenient Truth" about how hard it is for someone to accept what impacts their financial well being. I realized this week how that explains the Auto Alliance support for "Bell the Hybrid."

    After more than a century of engine engineering, the best we can do is to mute but not eliminate piston engine noise. Due to some legislation passed decades ago and customer demand, quiet has become a positive sales aspect. The quieter the car, the higher the quality with the exception of sports or off-road vehicles that use noise to give the illusion of power. But along comes the Prius, a game changer, whose sound level at low speeds is equal to or better than the most expensive, luxury vehicles.

    About 97% of all new cars are not hybrids but piston-only powered vehicles whose noise level is running up against some hard physics. It is extremely hard (aka., expensive) to make them any quieter. But passing "Bell the Hybrid" establishes a noise floor. The engineering for 97% of all cars becomes easier as they only have to be no quieter than the loudest hybrid. So valve covers, mufflers and manifolds become a little 'thinner'.

    The Auto Alliance may be genuinely interested in an 'access problem' of the blind. But there is an economic reason that parallels their concern for the blind whose expression will make our streets a little noisier.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #1 bwilson4web, Jun 30, 2010
  2. Aegison

    Aegison Member

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    I'm with your take of this situation. From my time in the industry, I saw/heard of all sorts of things which were done to quiet down a car ... things the average consumer wouldn't even know had been done. Thicker glass, especially on the windshield, is one example out of an awful lot of them.

    I only wish they were as successful in reducing noise from squeaks and rattles. They try pretty hard on it, but still don't tend to get it right.
     
    #2 Aegison, Jun 30, 2010
  3. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Well I know I won't want a Nissan Leaf if it has to make that stupid noise.

    Suggest anyone who has paid a deposit to Nissan for the Leaf contact them to object about these stupid noise makers. Perhaps threaten to cancel your deposit and if enough follow then they might look at removing these noise makers.

    They're hardly going to have invested billions only to have sales fall because of these noise makers. Perhaps this is what GM and the like want but Nissan and Toyota certainly don't.
     
    #3 GrumpyCabbie, Jun 30, 2010
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