Nissan’s Electric Cars «Sing»

Nissan’s electric cars will be able to sing to alert pedestrians to approaching vehicles, using melodic sounds to replace the noise of gasoline engines.

The Japanese automaker showcased its car song «Canto,» derived from the Latin word for singing, which uses electronic noise.

Electric vehicles are so quiet at low speeds that they can go unnoticed by pedestrians, and Nissan pioneered the use of electric vehicles with the popular Nissan Leaf in 2011.

The song will change the sound of Nissan vehicles while driving, varying the pitch and tonality depending on whether the vehicle is accelerating, decelerating, or reversing, almost like electronic music.

The Japanese automaker debuted the IMx concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show, which would feature the Canto car song and have a 600-kilometer (375-mile) range.

Automakers have been encouraged by regulators to increase the noise levels of electric vehicles, with the EU agreeing in 2014 that all new electric vehicles must be noise-reducing by 2019.

Noise is especially important for blind or visually impaired pedestrians, allowing them to better hear the sound of approaching electric vehicles.