Dont mess with the PWS on your EV.

[Cavalryscout18]

I'm sure you could - though I would be curious what the implications if a pedestrian were to walk out and get hit by you.

Most electric cars don’t have that feature as it’s a new law within the last year or two. I’m sure they will get more common but so far, it’s mostly silent.

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[Ladiver]

My daughter is vision impaired and frequently relies on sound at intersections. She’s far from stupid by the way.

I am very sorry if my post seemed offensive. I am in no way saying people that have impairments are stupid. I was more referring to the people who pay more attention to their phones or conversations than their surroundings.

People with vision or hearing impairments are normally MUCH more aware of their surroundings. I support safety for everyone but would like to disable the sound while in nature.

 

[the long way downunder]

I know there are countless adults with perfect vision walking around as if everyone else should value their safety more that they do and I understand your frustration with them. I also find the artificial noises to be annoying, especially while in a natural setting far from other people.

However, there are a lot of people out there with vision problems which cause them to rely on sound to at least augment their ability to detect threats in addition to the folks who are legally blind and who will rely entirely on sound. Plus, kids can get pretty engrossed in whatever captures their imagination not noticing anything going on around them and they are not as easily seen by drivers. We need to consider all of these folks, too.

I can’t speak for anyone else but I’d be devastated if I injured or killed someone because I disabled a safety feature which could have saved their life. I cannot imagine the guilt I’d feel for the rest of my life over having prioritized eliminating a noise which which I found annoying over the welfare of someone else.

People with vision and hearing problems aren't at risk. My brother is legally blind – he's never going to get hit by a cyclist, let alone an EV. He's been hit by runners and cyclists in really unusual circumstances (usually his own fault for being a little too bold.) He apologies to them and says "sorry, I didn't realize you didn't see me, I should have been more careful" … they're always horrified and apologetic … : )

The problem is nanny state politicians with time on their hands to pass these activist regulations instead of doing their elected work to, I dunno, pay nurses and teachers properly or fix a bridge or something.

The problem is people are idiots and get hit by buses and motorcycles when they step out into traffic with their nose in their phone … they all need to get their head out of their apps.

A "whooshing" futuristic flying saucer noise from a 1970s scifi movie with actors in rubber suits spray painted silver and talking in robot voices … it doesn't sound like a car to them, it sounds like what people ask me "is it meant to make that noise?"

If I hit someone, I won't be excusing myself by asking "didn't they hear this R1 making a whooshing noise?!"

 

[the long way downunder]

In my Volt you can pull a fuse to disable the PWS. Has anyone found the fuse panel yet?

I assume it's the same as Tesla – you can unplug the speaker, but you have to acknowledge the error message every time you start the car.

 

[Mysta]

Most electric cars don’t have that feature as it’s a new law within the last year or two. I’m sure they will get more common but so far, it’s mostly silent.

There’s a difference in having a car without one and disabling it.

 

[the long way downunder]

I'd just like a button on the touchscreen to temporarily silence the pedestrian flying saucer noise. It's really annoying when off-road or moving around my own property. I know from owning an F-150 Hybrid, it's bloody infuriating to have it beep and whirr when doing things like leaving an RV park in the early morning or arriving home late at night. Hopefully some aftermarket gizmo will come along. I think a simple wireless remote to a disable the speaker temporarily would suffice an not present an existential threat to civilization as we know it.

 

[abirozy]

I’m sure gear guard will show they were not paying attention.
Too bad stupid isn’t illegal!

Well technically, you would have to have violated a vehicle code or show that you had the present intent to hit them ?. Says the prosecutor.... lol

 

[the long way downunder]

There’s a difference in having a car without one and disabling it.

Right. My "old" 2018 X doesn't have it. But my R1 … I think if I disabled it and then somehow drove over the neighbor's dog, maybe they'd find a way to blame me for them letting a 12 year old deaf poodle take a nap under my truck … : )

 

[W1SE]

 

[SASSquatch]

I think that one way to deal with this issue is to tie the use of PWS, or potentially the decibel level, to the mode that you are in. For example, if you are in rock crawl mode, I'm guessing having PWS isn't going to be meaningful in that situation.

Then again, as a Sasquatch, I will always appreciate the early warning so I can hightail it out of sight...

 

[SeaGeo]

So much selfishness.

If you want to cut the ped warning sound from your car, do yourself a favor. Put a blindfold on, grab a cane, and try to walk around in the public for a day. The legislation was heavily lobbied for by the NFB because it's hard enough to safely move around by foot for someone that is visually impaired. Toss in a vehicle that basically only makes tire noise that's then obscured by background noise and try crossing a street reliably. Especially if said car is turning right, and doesn't realize you are blind.

 

[SeaGeo]

I think that one way to deal with this issue is to tie the use of PWS, or potentially the decibel level, to the mode that you are in.,

If you are in rock crawl mode, I'm guessing you aren't likely to need PWS in that situation.

Then again, as a Sasquatch, I will always appreciate the early warning so I can hightail it out of sight...

You would have idiots run around in Rock crawl mode on paved streets.

Practically speaking I think you'd need a geofence.

 

[SeaGeo]

The problem is people are idiots and get hit by buses and motorcycles when they step out into traffic with their nose in their phone … they all need to get their head out of their apps

...and the visually impaired who can't see or hear an EV that's moving slowly with a large amount if background sound...

The point is to avoid the hard to predict encounters.

 

[C.R. Rivian]

There’s a difference in having a car without one and disabling it.

Sure that it goes back past 3 years...my Kia Niro EV, 2019 has it.

 

[Tanquen]

My Tesla is too old to have one and I haven't heard one in real life yet. On the one hand it does seem kind of lame, but if it helps save lives then why not?

Having it turn off in certain situations becomes problematic, once you add a safety feature. If you let people turn it off then, if anything ever goes wrong at that time then you're in trouble or someone's going to want to file a lawsuit. Even in rock crawl mode or whatever. Could still be helpful to make a noise when the car is moving. If people are around aren't paying attention and or you don't notice that people are around you.

You see those videos of people parking and then their car slowly rolling away and it then seems reasonable to have the vehicle make noise whenever it moves whether it's running or not. Always makes me think of Anton Yelchin, such a crappy way to go.

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