A fright of my life tonight with an electric car

[Globalti]

The driver of the electric car lacks imagination, (S)he should have realised that a cyclist with the wind in their ears wouldn't hear the car and pipped the horn a hundred yards back in warning.

 

[Drago]

The driver should have used a loudhailer to shout "I am in a silent electric car."

 

[johnnyb47]

Johnny, do you drive a car? How do you survive in a car with the windows wound up and radio on?

Unfortunately yes i do drive a car covering many thousands miles a year. It was just on this occasion i was caught off my guard riding down a secluded lane and not expecting to come across something as quiet as an electric car behind me. ..I'm very vigilant when it comes to checking my mirrors whilst driving especially when in the truck..It only takes the one time not too , to end up with something catastrophic.

 

[Drago]

An honest man

 

[Illaveago]

I intentionally pack noisy things in my rack trunk bag so that pedestrians always hear me coming. Works a treat!

Are you a one man band?

 

[fullcycle]

It's mad how quiet they are compared to petrol/diesel engines I can imagine when factoring in the wind it was near silent

 

[Drago]

Its not mad, its brilliant. As a society we're far too tolerant of the noise of motor cars, because its so damnably convenient for the last majority.

 

[MontyVeda]

... I can remember the sound of the old electric milk floats, apart from the clanking of the milk bottles they used to produce a whining sound.
...

A friend of mine has a Nissan Leaf electric van... it makes a whining sound very similar to a milk float. I don't think the problem is with the vehicle, it's other road users who are having issues and need adjust the way they perceive vehicles.

I used to rely solely on my ears before crossing the road, until I stepped out in front of a cyclist. He didn't hit me or come off but was clearly panicked at what almost happened and i was very apologetic. Ever since that moment I've started using my eyes and ears again.

 

[Drago]

I think Monty has it. There's nothing wrong with near silent propulsion, its just we've become conditioned to over a cetury of noisy internal combustion, and with other modern distractions - smartphone being my least favourite - have largely lost the habit of using their eyes properly.

 

[johnnyb47]

I think Monty has it. There's nothing wrong with near silent propulsion, its just we've become conditioned to over a cetury of noisy internal combustion, and with other modern distractions - smartphone being my least favourite - have largely lost the habit of using their eyes properly.

I totally agree. I couldn't of put it across better :-)

 

[steveindenmark]

We will be seeing the "Loud pipes saves lives" bumper stickers on all Teslas before long.

Why is it the responsibility of the car manufacturers. Couldn't all cycle manufacturers just put mirrors on all bikes.

 

[si_c]

Possibly controversial, but I often commute with headphones on, so often don't hear vehicles from behind until they are almost level. I do however shoulder check with greater frequency than I have observed other riders doing, I was tailing a rider yesterday on the commute in, and for about 3 miles he didn't shoulder check once, not even at the junction where he turned off.

There is no good substitute for actually looking to see if there is anything behind you.

 

[Dan B]

A friend of mine has a Nissan Leaf electric van... it makes a whining sound very similar to a milk float.

I've often noticed this with Priuses as well, although I'm never sure if the whining is coming from under the bonnet or behind the steering wheel

 

[si_c]

I've often noticed this with Priuses as well, although I'm never sure if the whining is coming from under the bonnet or behind the steering wheel

It's the SuperSmug front - it's a proven scientific fact (tm) that a persons sense of smug superiority projects itself around that person in an exponential radius. What you are hearing is the interaction between your own field and that of the person in the prius. Higher intensity fields produce a louder sounding interaction.

 

[ufkacbln]

According to "chef" James Martin, it is an advantage

After taking the Tesla out for a spin Martin had this gem to report: “Twenty minutes into my test drive I pulled round a leafy bend, enjoying the birdsong - and spotted those damned Spider-Man cyclists. Knowing they wouldn't hear me coming, I stepped on the gas, waited until the split second before I overtook them, then gave them an almighty blast on the horn at the exact same time I passed them at speed.

“The look of sheer terror as they tottered into the hedge was the best thing I've ever seen in my rear-view mirror. I think this could be the car for me."

Best part was when Tesla received complaints and collected the car

Several other companies who had previously allowed him test cars also boycotted the chef after this episode