Sound design for electric and hybrid cars

Electric cars are great. I would love to live in a city where people don't have to breathe exhaust gases every day. As there are more and more hybrid cars and even all-electric cars being developed, an issue comes up we didn't have to think about before: do they have to make a sound?

There used to be experts spending all their time researching ways to reduce the sound of cars with an old-fashioned gas engine. This time it's the other way around. But what is the problem exactly? Wouldn't it be nice to have a busy city center where you would only hear the sound of the people, with cars quietly moving by?

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