Hyundai Sonata Hybrid delay due to modifications of virtual engine sound

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by cwerdna, Feb 24, 2011.

  1. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Hyundai Sonata Hybrid delay due to modifications of virtual engine sound — Autoblog Green
    Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Delay: Deciding To Make It Make Noise, Always

    I'm sure this is a topic near and dear to bwilson4web. :) Apparently, the delay was because they removed the button to disable the pedestrian noisemaker which required a whole bunch of changes causing them to lose a couple weeks of production timing.

    Hmmm.... I never followed "bell the hybrid" much but does that mean next generations of hybrids will be required to have non-defeatable pedestrian noisemakers?

    The Volt, AFAIK doesn't ship with any. At least none were on the ones in the Volt drive event and the GM staffers didn't seem to know about automatic noisemakers. The Leaf's can be disabled until you power down. On next power up, it defaults back to on.
     
    #1 cwerdna, Feb 24, 2011
  2. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    Well I guess I won't be buying a Sonata Hybrid anymore.
     
    #2 macmaster05, Feb 24, 2011
  3. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    How sad. An incredible piece of engineering genius is being delayed from helping to save the world from the Libyan oil crisis all because an unpopular congress is trying to bell the hybrids. :(
     
    #3 Rybold, Feb 24, 2011
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  4. rickkop

    rickkop New Member

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    Once again, a few in this country get to force their views on everyone else. I am already being forced to buy e-10 fuel (and maybe e-15 before too long) and now my next hybrid will have a noise maker on it. Maybe we should make it so our horns start blowing constantly as soon as we power up. Enough already. Rick
     
    #4 rickkop, Feb 25, 2011
  5. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    If you can find the noise maker, you can disable it. If it has a cool sound to it then I wouldn't mind driving with it on. If it's programmable with personalized sound then I'd definitely drive with it on.
     
    #5 cproaudio, Feb 25, 2011
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  6. Skoorbmax

    Skoorbmax Senior Member

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    I wonder if these noisemakers will be so irritating that we'll beg for the annoyance of the 2010 backup beep for by comparison it's a delight.

    But as mentioned, I'm sure these can be disabled in some way even if they have to be physically broken. It's just a speaker, right, so it could be destroyed, or muffled. Whether that would break some law who knows.

    Surely I'm not the only one who loves to "sneak" up on people in parking lots so that i can get that "Oh sh*t I didn't realize anybody was there!" look from pedestrians who are blissfully walking down the middle and eventually realize somebody is waiting for them to move to the side.
     
    #6 Skoorbmax, Feb 25, 2011
  7. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Interesting.
    Regardless of where you fall on the Bell The Hybrid debate it seems like a odd decision of Hyundai. Given that as of now, there is no legislation in place forcing them to have an undefeatable noise maker, I think most potential owners would much rather it be "optional".
     
    #7 The Electric Me, Feb 25, 2011
  8. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Guess what the #1 mod will be to this car.....?
     
    #8 KK6PD, Feb 25, 2011
  9. Skoorbmax

    Skoorbmax Senior Member

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    Custom sounds. I would have it loop .wav files instead of its default sound. That rap song "Get out the way, get out the way" comes to mind.
     
    #9 Skoorbmax, Feb 25, 2011
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