Jaguar I-Pace drops UFO-like warning sound

Jaguar has had to abandon a UFO-inspired version of the artificial sound generator on its I-Pace electric car because the noise was distracting pedestrians.

The sound was inspired by a “sci-fi spacecraft”, says the British carmaker, and designed to draw attention to the vehicle as its electric powertrain is almost silent at lower speeds.

However, the company had to shelve the idea when pedestrians “kept looking up when they heard the noise”, rather than at the road, during pre-release testing, says CNet.

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Jaguar has now chosen a “still-spooky, but decidedly more terrestrial sound” for the I-Pace, says the car-tech website. This is ahead of new rules that force car manufacturers to equip electric vehicles (EVs) with artificial noise generators, which come into effect next July.

The Coventry-based carmaker says its engineers spent four years developing an “audible yet discreet” soundtrack before the electric SUV launched earlier this year.

The noise is emitted from a single speaker tucked inside the front grille, but the sound is audible from every angle, The Sun reports. It also changes in pitch and volume depending on the car’s speed.

But the sound only plays at speeds of up to 12mph, where there isn’t sufficient tyre or wind noise to alert pedestrians that a vehicle is approaching, the newspaper says. It also cannot be heard from within the cockpit and can’t be turned off.

The noise has been welcomed by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, a charity that helps the visually impaired.

A spokesperson said the charity “campaigned hard to make it compulsory for quiet vehicles to have sound generating systems built in and turned on, including when the vehicle is stationary at a pedestrian crossing.

“We applaud Jaguar for being the first to launch an EV which meets standards before the new legislation even comes in and look forward to working with the company more in the future,” the spokesperson added.