2012 Tesla Model S beta vehicle, Fremont, CA, October 2011Enlarge Photo
Posted on 04/03/2014 8:17:14 AM PDT by Izzy Dunne
If you watched 60 Minutes on Sunday night--perhaps wondering whether the show would target the Tesla Model S electric car--you may have been relieved.
The segment, "Fast Cars and Rocket Ships," was nothing less than a laudatory paean to the vision and accomplishments of Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk.
MORE: Tesla's Lithium-Ion Battery Gigafactory: What You Need To Know
But you may also have noticed something odd.
The show used what appeared to be stock footage of the Tesla Model S cruising through scenic byways and along highways, with audio of what sounded suspiciously like engine noises--including one clearly audible downshift.
2012 Tesla Model S beta vehicle, Fremont, CA, October 2011Enlarge Photo
Ahem.
Many who saw the segment Sunday night commented on it, or Tweeted about it. Jalopnik wrote about it very shortly after it happened.
Now giant network CBS has essentially apologized for what was clearly a production goof.
As Media Bistro's TVnewser blog noted, "As an electric car, the Tesla Model S doesn’t make a typical engine noise, so the editor added some sound for effect."
Indeed.
"Our video editor made an audio editing error in our report about Elon Musk and Tesla," said a CBS statement yesterday. "We regret the error, and it is being corrected online.”
You can view the entire (corrected) 13-minute segment online, along with an article, Tesla and SpaceX: Elon Musk's Industrial Empire.
Meanwhile, it turns out that Sunday's 60 Minutes garnered 14.3 million viewers, which makes it one of the most popular network shows of the week.
But, a little note to TV producers assigned to cover Tesla Motors in the future: Electric cars don't upshift or downshift.
And while some of them may whine, they definitely don't make engine noises.
Just so you know.
“I own an electric car. You quickly learn how dependent most pedestrians have become on hearing cars when they walk on side streets: No-one thinks twice of abruptly turning into the traffic lane if they don’t hear any traffic noise.”
My wife and I in the past few months had to take the Ca Driver’s written test, get finger printed, pass the eye test to get re licensed.
Both of us had the same dumb question re driving up to a pedestrian cross walk which has an apparent blind guy with the red and white cane wanting to cross the street.
The correct answer was stay stopped until he heard the motor running and crossed the street.
My wife and I did a Sheldon from Big Bang. We refused to answer that question. We told the DMV answer checker if we were driving a Pius, the blind man would never hear our vehicle. Both of us might stay there forever.
Both answer checkers just shook their heads and took the question off our test.
From the July 2011 Road & Track article...
"With the inevitable growth in the number of electric cars on the road there is increasing concern that the silence generated by electric vehicles could be deadly for pedestrians in urban environments.
To this end, President Obama has signed a law that would make it a requirement to add a sound-generating device to all electric and hybrid vehicles by 2014."
Crap - I was about to make a snide comment that the gubmint would outlaw the silent ones.
And here you go and quote reality at me.
Electric cars don’t upshift or downshift nor does a Stanley Steamer.
People! We should not be surprised with this latest revelation. Democrats are LIARS. Always have been always will be. Look at another where the glorious EPA, here to protect the world from evil poluters have been testing some of these deadly chemicals on humans without full disclosure of what they were getting in to.
It will only get worse as they increase there power and control, all helped, aided, and abetted by the Deomocratic media outlets.
Everything they do or say is a lie one way or another. It is either faked, slanted, or ingnored.
Any headlines in the liars media about the 35,000 double voting in North Carolina in the last election??
I remember Ford did an on-line poll for people to choose what would be the best sound. There were quite a few people suggesting alternative sounds. The suggestions ran the gamut. Anything from Star Wars sounds, the sound of a 429 Cobra, a semi tractor, etc... to playing the theme song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang :-)
One of my favorites. Two reporters in the same parking lot, pretending to be apart and listening intently on their ear pieces.
Its all theater:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNMkfrs-z0M
“Electric cars run quiet. Perfect for stealth driving.”
Look for NHTSA to require that “they make a noise” as a safety feature right after they finish up with mandatory backup cameras.
“Anyone who want to....claim the CBS version.”
CBS is short for SEE BS!
I think if I had an electric car I’d want a sound generator on it. I’d also make the sound configurable, like a ring tone.
I’d set up different sounds for different situations. Have one that sounds like a popcorn popper. Or Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang. Or an old steam locomotive. Or a little kid just making a “Ppppppt...” sound.
Could have some fun with that. :-)
I was visiting a friend and was walking to my car at the end of a long driveway. Another friend that parked closer to the house snuck up from behind in a Prius and scared the crap out of me.
THIS
Years ago I traveled to Zermatt, Switzerland near the Matterhorn. The small valley with large mountains surrounding had banned nearly all combustion engines for vehicles. Some delivery trucks excepted.
Cars, buses, etc all were limited to electric. The initial result in this tourist destination town? Pedestrians were run over all the time.
They fixed the problem by requiring sleigh bells mounted on all vehicles. For a tourist skiing stop, it was neat.
If I ever own an electric car and add sound effects, I want it to sound like on old steam locomotive while cruising, but a top fuel dragster while accelerating. Maybe a huge brake squeal while decelerating.
ride of the valkyries
Who do they think they are? NBC?!
Some jerk in the Walmart parking lot was zipping around in his electric car, speeding and paying no attention to the right of way of pedestrians. No one could hear him coming and I almost got nailed. Maybe the editor had a good idea and all electric cars should come with a soundtrack.
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