I had to stand outside of the car and have a friend drive it in EV mode to hear it -- it's very quiet and I think it makes the car sound really cool People who are worried about it making noise in a neighborhood late at night or whatever -- stop worrying, you won't be able to hear this inside a house or even in the back yard when a '12 or later Prius goes by. Peter+
THANK YOU. Those of us who have heard it in person said it wasn't a big deal in all honesty and at least there is confirmation. Does it need to be there? Of course not but they were made to so they did. I think they did a good job of not making it more than what it had to be to fulfill the requirement.
Then I truly don't understand this at all. You need to warn pedestrians of a vehicle by making a noise... Ok. Then you make the noise quiet so it doesn't do a thing other than make more noise that nobody will notice unless they listen for it? If it is not loud enough to overpower an earphone, then it is completely useless. Would have been a better idea to make them in the 30KHz range where only dogs and animals can hear it. That way the blind guys dog hears it instead of the blind guy not hearing anything.
Well, my wife has very low vision (blind in one eye, very low vision in the other) and we talked about this, she definitely likes being able to hear the car coming in a parking lot when I'm picking her up somewhere, vs. having my '05 sneak up on her. Would she be able to hear it if she were wearing earbuds? No. But blind people (and I know quite a few) aren't stupid enough to deprive themselves of another sense that informs them about their immediate surroundings, only sighted people do that... So, the VPNS solves the problem it was intended to solve without impacting others or contributing to noise polution. You can hear it outside the car if you are within ~20-30 feet of the front of the car (at least at parking lot speeds where I tested it with my friend), otherwise you won't hear it. At higher speeds the wheels and the air displacement create enough sound outside that people know there's a car there. Peter+
I am not blind and I can hear any car or bicycle as it approaches because of the tire noise... At low speeds you get tire noise, high speed you get wind noise. If it is only good in parking lots, again I ask what good it is.
For a pedestrian in a parking lot, it's considerably more noticeable than tire noise. It's worthwhile, assessed by someone who *is* blind and for whom this kind of thing was designed. Peter+
Because a legally blind person isn't stupid enough to wear headphones/earbuds and deprive themselves on the one thing they rely on the most - sense of hearing. Thank you.That's what we've been saying all along. It's not that intrusive and the fact that Prius v owners actually have to make a note of it to listen rather than just hearing it by accident shows that it's doing what it's designed to do. Exactly that. If the area is noisy enough, a blind person would know they're on a main street with traffic. It's for the times when you may not expect traffic or traffic is light such as if they're taking a walk around the neighbourhood/residential streets. The noise level is much lower than on the main street and it can give them ample warning of an approaching hybrid or EV.
I heard it today too as my wife pulled in the driveway. I agree its not intrusive. It is actually pretty quiet I know now why I didnt ever notice it in the shop at work.
I have a blind cousin, he's been near my Prius a few times and says he can actually hear it coming, and so can i (if i havent seen it coming). I don't think the Prius is THAT silent, you can still hear it at parking speeds. Although if the VPNS benefits the vision impaired that cant hear a regular Prius, then i'm all for it! Are there any videos of what it sounds like?
But that tire noise might be masked by other ambient noise. Blind person comes walking down a side walk very near a driveway. Prius pulls up very slowly on very smooth pavement such that there is virtually no tire noise. Blind person and Prius just about have a you know what. A Prius can be extremely quiet at low speeds. Getting hit by a car at even 5 MPH would be very bad. According to Wiki, NHTSA study did determine there was a higher incidence of silent hybrids and pedestrian accidents particularly when turning at low speeds.
Anyone resistant to the idea of a noisemaker, is simply not going to like it regardless of how it is presented or executed. I have yet to hear VPNS in person. But the way I look at it? It's here to stay. Might as well get use to it.
I used to work a job with an armed guard at the gate and somewhat perversely enjoyed creeping up on the gate shack in stealth mode, esp at 5:30 a.m., turning off the heater or a/c to be as silent as possible. The guard would usually hear the tires at about 10 ft away. We always had a bit of a laugh at that. And I guess that Weeds can't write a Stealth Drive by episode anymore....
Probably just meant so that people can actually hear what it sounds like moreso than what it should be in real life. I mean, the sound continues even though the car passes. As far as I can remember, it's barely audible behind the car. It'll get your attention if you're in front of the car but you'll miss it if you're beside or behind the car.
Does anyone have a link to a "real world" video of this to get an idea of the intensity? Maybe a Prius v owner could go out and make a clip of theirs? -Iain
I was concerned that the noise would be irritating but I can't here it at all from inside the car when I am driving and people on the outside say it is fairly low pitched and innocuous. It is a non-issue for me and if it helps make it more safe for anyone then that's great.
I don't care how loud or soft this sound is... to me the sound itself is awful and grates on my nerves. If this nonsense goes into law, it'll be another reason for me to keep my Classic indefinitely. FIGHT NOISE POLLUTION... DRIVE A HYBRID!* *WITHOUT a noisemaker, that is!
