this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2024
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I'm fairly convinced that the reason internal combustion won - even though it would regularly break your wrist when you started it - was that it made loud noises.
Back then cars were a luxury, and if you're buying something flashy you want people to notice you. A gasoline engine sputtering down the road would draw far more attention than an electric motor, so people bought those.
From an engineering standpoint, liquid fuels have a far greater energy-to-weight ratio than batteries. Some of the largest advancements in combustion engines for the purpose of conveyance were made during the world wars. Noise was something they actively fought against. Loud tanks are scary, but unexpected tanks are much scarier. If they really needed it to be loud, sirens exist (see: Jericho siren). The energy-to-weight problem is only now finally being solved via modern batteries using exotic materials and processes well outside of early 1900's technology.
That's the textbook answer but I think mine is more fun.
Oh certainly! I only felt the need to add the textbook answer because of the... Conspiratorial side of Lemmy that will happily believe misleading information as long as it confirms pre-existing biases.
It's too late, I've already accepted the other response as accurate gospel
😔
They're still doing exactly this. ICE designs have never been quieter, but meanwhile Ford and GM are pumping out the L O U D E S T car options in decades.
I've said adoption of EVs by that crowd will only come when they start slapping very loud and aggressive VESS options onto them
The hardware is already there, someone just needs to mod/hack that in.
In fact, it looks like we were going to get custom sound effects but the DOT killed it:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/07/13/2022-14733/federal-motor-vehicle-safety-standards-minimum-sound-requirements-for-hybrid-and-electric-vehicles
To be fair BMW and VAG/AUDI put factory pop and crackle modes (intentional over fueling/backfires) in their cars too.
Fun to remember that Mr. Toad was a parody of all the dicks who drove cars.