The NHTSA Is Proposing EV Drivers Get To Choose What Fake Sounds Their Cars Make

If the NHTSA “Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles” proposed rulemaking documents get pushed through, electric vehicle owners would be able to choose what sounds their cars make.

Electric vehicles are notorious for being quiet. So much so that the NHTSA has required that they make some sort of noise. And they believe that EV owners should have a bit of a choice when it comes to the fake sounds EVs emit.

According to the proposal:

“Drivers would be able to select the sound they prefer from the set of sounds installed in the vehicle. NHTSA is also seeking comment on whether interested parties believe that the agency should establish a limit to the number of compliant sounds from which a driver may select that a manufacturer may choose to install in a vehicle.”

Before you go thinking EV owners will have cars sounding like rockets or Ferraris. Owners would be able to select from a bank of pre-installed sounds. It’s stated that the NHTSA isn’t proposing a limit on the number of “compliant sounds” that a manufacturer is permitted to install in a vehicle.