New Revenue Source for E-Cars: Drivetones

Commendable idea to cross over to EV. However, lots of variables not considered. For example, tech today can introduce a 150 MPG fossil fuel auto, nearly green. WV only gains over inefficient engines! The devil's in the details, not seen the corroborating pro-forma's. Lots of obvious pitfalls for US, or large country markets. Re Drivetones, what happens if someone gets hit fron a car with its drivetones on, and the pedestrian thought it was a radio??

The mere thought that we will not need to use fossil fuel and see OPEC countries scramble to reduce their prices to get demand back up, puts a smile on my face. WE have been raped for far too long. The key is to keep gasoline prices high enough for us mortals to realize that we must get rid of the fossil fuel addiction. We do not want the 1974 DEJA-VU all over again. we need to produce a variety of flavors for the OPEC countries to use while drinking their BLACK GOLD LIQUID,as I am sure they will need it and we won't. Please do not censor.

Important idea. The e-car is, indeed, a danger for pedestrians, who are not made aware of the start or stop of an e-car. However, it is suggested to have a two-way loudspeaker, one for the inside and one for the outside. The inside could be your favourite sound, the outside should be restricted to, perhaps, ten characteristic sounds, and should be muted after the vehicle has gained momentum. One of the principle advantages of the e-car was and is the absence of noise pollution.

Gundolf Kohlmaier
Goethe University of Frankfurt

Project Better Place's essential concept is interesting, and it'll be very interesting to see if they can put the necessary charging/swapping infrastructure in place in a chaotic country like Israel.

I'm still a bit skeptical about the business model, according to which customers will subscribe to a "X km-per-month" service level with a guaranteed price for years, completely insulated from any cost changes in the required electricity, which is likely to fluctuate quite a bit over the next few years in most markets.

That aside, I think drivetones are a horrific idea. Urban noise is a health hazard, and I was looking forward to the quiet of EVs. Any drivetone loud enough to be heard from say 50m (if you can only hear it from a few meters away it's too late to do any good) will mean that in an urban environment with multiple EVs all you'll hear is a constant very loud cacophony which won't help the pedestrian determine directionality, and will be very annoying to boot.

Claiming this is a safety device is on a par with the silly "loud pipes save lives" slogan promoted by US cruiser motorcycle riders who run their bikes without exhaust mufflers.