2013 Audi A3

Brabus electric Smart car features electronic exhaust noise simulator

 
2 2,776 views Jun 17, 2009

brabus smart fortwo electric drive 013

brabus smart fortwo electric drive 003

brabus smart fortwo electric drive 003

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It's often cited as an advantage of electric cars, but it's also one of the biggest potential danger zones: silence. It makes for peaceful - if somewhat eerie - cruising at speed, but it also poses a huge risk to pedestrians and other road users. So Brabus is doing something about it in the case of the Smart ForTwo Electric drive (ED).

Lotus Engineering and a number of research and automotive firms and governmental entities have come up with solutions that offer realistic exhaust sounds to those outside the cabin, and it's not clear which solution Brabus is using, but it's able to replicate a real engine. You can also choose between the sounds of a muscle car or an economy car, depending on your mood, reports Edmunds.

Fortunately, for those times when it would be better to have no sound at all, the system can be turned off with a single switch. So far, the system is just a proof-of-concept, but with all the work going into the field, something similar will come to production by the time the Smart ED hits retail at the end of 2009 or start of 2010.

Check out our previous coverage for more about the Brabus Smart ForTwo ED.
Brabus Smart ForTwo Electric Drive

HI-RES GALLERY: brabus smart fortwo electric drive 013




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Comments (2)

  1. By  mincir Posted: 12/30/2009 10:13pm PST

    It is good to see that many electric cars are learning to deal with the dangerous silence for pedestrians.
     
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  2. By  Manny Posted: 8/19/2010 8:23am PDT

    smart cars will be on display at smart fest in the UK, all these in this article will be there to drive and test out, including teh BRABUS, my fave..
     
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