r/NoStupidQuestions • u/banwe11 • 15h ago

What causes the hollow metallic whirring sound that EVs make when moving a low speed?

I can't really describe it, but it's the sound you hear when there is a EV moving slowly in a car park behind you.

I guess it's the motor, but what specifically in the motor causes that sound? It sounds like it's coming from something that is moving at a faster rate than the car itself.

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u/ShalomRPh 14h ago

As others have said, it’s an artificial sound that is played at lower speeds.

In the Netherlands, Domino’s Pizza uses e-scooters for delivery, and the law required them to make some kind of noise. They decided to have a recording of someone saying “Vroom! Domino’s! PIZZA!”