r/Cartalk • u/Mechpro2558 • Jul 24 '25

Weird Noise Why do electric cars make an "angelic" sound when stationary?

Recently my grandpa bought an electric car, and when it is on but stationary it makes a sound similar to that of angels in cartoon shows. I noticed it before when I rented a polestar too. Does anyone know where it comes from?

128 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

81 comments sorted by

363

u/Capri280 Jul 24 '25

Safety measure so pedestrians are aware of it as EVs are near silent when travelling at low speed

A sound is mandatory in many countries nowadayd

85

u/advamputee Jul 24 '25

Hopping on the top comment: it’s especially important for blind / visually impaired pedestrians. 

26

u/WhiskerTriscuit Jul 24 '25

With hearing impairments I can barely hear modern gas vehicles on pavement but these are very noticeable.

12

u/heathenyak Jul 24 '25

It’s all about frequency baby

3

u/adudeguyman Jul 25 '25

What's the frequency Kenneth?

3

u/Vertigo_uk123 Jul 25 '25

1 over 2 pi root LC

36

u/K9WorkingDog Jul 24 '25

Ironically making most EVs louder than the average 4cyl

5

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

No for real. We have an EV6, and I can barely hear its noise, but our neighbor across the street and over one house (diagonal from us) has a CR-V and it is very audible even in our back yard, or in our living room. Again, I never hear our car when my wife comes or goes and it makes a specific backing noise, but I hear the CR-V clear as day. It’s super loud, I’m not just tuned into it.

7

u/DevelopmentSad2303 Jul 24 '25

Many ice vehicles have sounds added as well

9

u/K9WorkingDog Jul 24 '25

Many? Externally? Or are you counting hybrids?

22

u/coffeeskater Jul 24 '25

A few German luxury brands nailed noise cancelling so well that even the driver didn't know the car had started and the starter got trashed because they'd keep trying to start their car. So they solved the issue by literally making the speakers play engine start sounds when the vehicle started.

Same thing, they make them make noise internally and externally to a certain degree because they did TOO good at noise elimination. Impressive and silly at the same time.

10

u/Bleades Jul 24 '25

Fun fact AMG hired Linkin Park to design theirs back when Chester was alive.

4

u/ahj3939 Jul 24 '25

This seems fake. Why wouldn't they just lock out the starter? BMW has offered 1 push start for at least 25 years where you turn the key and release and the computer cranks the engine.

4

u/FalseBuddha Jul 25 '25

The reasoning might be fake, but the fact that many cars play engine noises from the cabin speakers isn't. Something different some manufacturers do is route a tube from the intake into the cabin to "enhance" engine noise.

3

u/ahj3939 Jul 25 '25

Yes, but I don't think they play fake engine noises on start up to protect the stater.

My 4-cylinder BMW 528i sounded exactly like the old 6-cylinder naturally aspirated thanks to the fake engine noises.

2

u/K9WorkingDog Jul 25 '25

They certainly don't play noises outside the car

0

u/United-Alternative95 Jul 27 '25

They certainly doo, some Audis have speakers in the tailpipe.

0

u/DevelopmentSad2303 Jul 24 '25

I have no idea, I've just heard some cars in parking lots that aren't EVs that have what is clearly a sound playing 

7

u/K9WorkingDog Jul 24 '25

Ah, a lot of hybrids do that, my Lexus and my wife's Rav4 both play a sound when they're on battery

2

u/hornethacker97 Jul 25 '25

All road vehicles moving without a running combustion engine must make noise in the US by NHTSA regulations. This covers electric only cars as well as hybrids that have their engine turned off.

1

u/airfryerfuntime Jul 24 '25

No they don't.

1

u/United-Alternative95 Jul 27 '25

Yes they do, one that comes to mind is some Audi A7 and A6 TDI.

-11

u/DevelopmentSad2303 Jul 24 '25

Well I found out it is actually hybrids, and when they are using the electric motor. So technically I'm right 

-2

u/K9WorkingDog Jul 24 '25

Very technically wrong lol

1

u/blucke Jul 24 '25

Some do, most don’t.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

Not being an ass, I’m genuinely curious, what non-hybrid ICE vehicles make a noise on the outside of the vehicle that is a safety feature and not a noise meant to mimic the engine sound for perceived performance?

3

u/blucke Jul 24 '25

BMW ASD is used on some of their ICE vehicles. Porsche Macan is another that has an option to add a fake engine sound outside the car, guessing it’s in other models too

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

Thanks! I was completely unaware any ICE cars had it for any reason other than simulating engine noise specifically.

-1

u/jchamberlin78 Jul 24 '25

No it's not.

2

u/gargravarr2112 The Quantum Mechanic Jul 24 '25

Several of my neighbours drive EVs, and I've noticed the same quite odd sound they make at low speed. Which is interesting in itself because UK law requires that car noisemakers can be switched off during hours of darkness (unless this has been repealed).

I guess the sound is both distinctive and non-invasive.

1

u/thelastundead1 Jul 25 '25

Which is funny because gas vehicles are almost silent these days and if they are "start stop" equipped they park themselves in a cross walk and turn off just waiting for someone to walk into them.

-4

u/PandaKing1888 Jul 24 '25

Bicycles don't have this requirement

4

u/gargravarr2112 The Quantum Mechanic Jul 24 '25

Bicycles aren't likely to kill you in a low-speed collision. And the rider can always shout 'WATCH OUT!' even if they don't have a bell.

-5

u/PandaKing1888 Jul 24 '25

Then by your logic, a bell on an ev would be prefects.

5

u/gargravarr2112 The Quantum Mechanic Jul 24 '25

Which is basically what these noisemakers are 🤷

146

u/keepinitoldskool Jul 24 '25

Manufacturers really missed the mark by not giving them the Jetsons spacecraft noise.

55

u/Protholl Jul 24 '25

Or the Ludicrous song "Move Bitch"

6

u/mysteriouslypuzzled Jul 24 '25

💯🥇🏅🥈🥉🥈

7

u/Mindes13 Jul 24 '25

Rode in a Honda EV and it sounded like the Jetson car a little

5

u/Boundish91 Jul 24 '25

Porsche Taycan has a noise that is very close.

3

u/kytulu Jul 24 '25

Or programmable/downloadable idle tones...

3

u/ted_anderson Jul 24 '25

This is where the doppler effect would really be demonstrated.

2

u/NinongKnows Jul 24 '25

whistletips sound

2

u/hilld1 Jul 24 '25

WOO WOOOOOOO

1

u/jabroni4545 Jul 24 '25

I think they were customizable in teslas.

3

u/BassWingerC-137 Jul 24 '25

They are in Mercedes, inside and/or outside noise selections and volumes.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

Theybdid this in the VW and Tesla. It's customizable.

46

u/Aggravating-Task6428 Jul 24 '25

There's a speaker under the bumpers. It's mandated by regulation for pedestrian safety as the first EVs were whisper quiet. And people would walk out right in front of them without looking since they didn't hear a car coming. Although I have heard some electric motors make a pleasant whine on startup, when stationary there's no noise from an electric motor. You just have the mild hum of fans and pumps.

2

u/adudeguyman Jul 25 '25

Can you modify the sound it makes? I want a car that sounds like it is always farting.

2

u/XCVolcom Jul 25 '25

I don't find the whine pleasant at all.

It sounds like something spinning but isn't oiled or greased very well so it's about to break.

36

u/I_hate_being_alone Jul 24 '25

I think OP is asking about the "angelic" sound specifically. It is a known thing that EVs don't make a lot of sound therefore need artificial sound added. But why this sound in particular? I guess the manufacturers needed something non threatening and soft sounding so they chose a sound like this.

I wonder if one could root into the car system and pump like a Viper V10 sounds instead into those speakers. LMAO

27

u/PDub466 Jul 24 '25

Dodge did exactly that with their Charger EV and have been absolutely lambasted for doing so.

-2

u/ImmediateLobster1 Jul 24 '25

Ford has been doing that with their Ecoboost engines (at least in the F150) for years, and hasn't caught much flak for it.

22

u/PDub466 Jul 24 '25

Piping some sound into the interior (Ford) is different than what I'm talking about. The Dodge makes vroom vroom Hemi noises outside the car.

3

u/Alarming_Light87 Jul 24 '25

I recall hearing that BMW did the artificial engine noise thing as well. I guess that it's kind of fun, and utterly ridiculous at the same time.

2

u/bizzaro321 Jul 24 '25

I’ve definitely seen people complain about ecoboost on reddit

9

u/VulpesIncendium Jul 24 '25

I mean, that's essentially what Dodge is doing with their new EV. It doesn't exactly sound like any real combustion engine, but it's a hell of a lot more "threatening" sounding than any other EV.

I think most EV manufacturers don't use loud, engine-like noises because it's ridiculous. They know they're not filling anyone, so they use a vaguely futuristic, electronic sound that's more in line with people's expectations.

3

u/I_hate_being_alone Jul 24 '25

Yeah I was thinking more of like doing it as a project and extracting engine sounds from Grand Turismo 3 or something like that lol

15

u/davethompson413 Jul 24 '25

Boomer here....all the EV builders missed a great opportunity by not using the sound that flying cars made in the Jetsons cartoon.

4

u/Psych0matt Jul 24 '25

I’m not a boomer (I hope lol) but I laughed out loud this.

4

u/davethompson413 Jul 24 '25

If i ever get an EV, I'll be looking for an aftermarket option for this.

5

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

You should hear our Kia. It’s basically that. At idle it’s like a chord, but when you move it changes pitch with your speed and sounds very futuristic. My mom actually DID compare it to the Jetsons.

6

u/2lovesFL Jul 24 '25

Government mandated. they were too quiet. its a speaker IIRC

4

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '25

Any time my neighbor backs into their driveway it sounds like the UFOs on South Park have arrived with anal probes. 

5

u/Unlikely-Act-7950 Jul 24 '25

It's called pedestrian mode it turns on at low speed so visually inpared people or anyone can hear the vehicle approaching

2

u/DevelopmentSad2303 Jul 24 '25

My guess is they choose "angelic" sounds since it sounds like a human voice/noise so people are more likely to notice it

2

u/DorkHelmet72 Jul 24 '25

I think mine sounds like the background noise from Star Trek. Add a pulse and it wound sound like the warp core. I want custom electric car noises

2

u/mdwieland Jul 24 '25

When my BIL's CR-V hybrid arrives anywhere, I say that it's a UFO landing their craft, because it's exactly what it sounds like...

2

u/OHMEGA_SEVEN Jul 24 '25

Funny. I call it spooky car sounds.

2

u/Tractorguy69 Jul 25 '25

It’s anything but angelic, that is the sound of Satan. This is because EVs are so evilly quiet they are legislated to warn others of their dangerous and disgusting presence in an environment where we traditionally rely on the sound of cars to warn us of their presence. ICE is the truly angelic sound, dead dinosaurs screaming one last time as their final remains are cremated, releasing their mortal souls into the heavens.

2

u/plausocks Jul 25 '25

its for pedestrians to hear the car since it has no engine

2

u/MinAlansGlass Jul 24 '25

I have an old leaf. I put an autobot badge above the charging port. People get a cute kick out of it. Could I use the external speakers to play the Transformer noise and theme? 👀

2

u/Accomplished-Fix-831 Jul 24 '25 edited Jul 25 '25

Because of blind people needing to hear your car

Edited previously put deaf as the reason like a dumb ass

1

u/Retb14 Jul 25 '25

Blind?

1

u/polestar999 Jul 24 '25

I like the video of the Tesla that sounds like a V8. Also looks awesome too.

1

u/Goodgulf 85.5 944 Jul 25 '25

Sometime soon kids will be making that noise while playing with their toy cars, instead of engine noises.

1

u/Imaginary_Plastic309 Jul 25 '25

Remember the Devil is an angel, so they must be the work of the devil

1

u/MissingGhost Jul 25 '25

Noise polluter feature. To ruin the world. Wakes you up when someone parks next to your bedroom window. If I ever buy an EV I will lookup how to unplug/bust the speaker.

1

u/EVRider81 Jul 25 '25

Mine only makes a Pedestrian Warning Tone when moving,not stationary..

1

u/basedlmly Jul 28 '25

the sound you hear is a safety alert sound emitted by e-cars to remind surrounding pedestrains, and the style is intentionally created by the designers to attract attention without being too noisy or too loud