Well, you can’t say that Elon Musk doesn’t have a sense of humor.
When you gotta get someone’s attention, what’s better than fart noises?
The Tesla CEO revealed plans to offer customizable alerts — including fart noises and goat sounds — that his electric cars would use as a warning to pedestrians.
Musk tweeted about it Sunday.
? & ? sounds too (also, of course)
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 6, 2019
Teslarati, a media outlet devoted to all things Tesla, reports Musk’s reference to a possible “coconuts” sound was a nod to “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” one of Musk’s all-time favorite films.
The site reports the fart sound Musk hinted might have already been revealed — ala the car’s “Toilet Humor” mode, which was an easter egg included in a recent firmware update.
The idea behind the noises aren’t just fun, there’s an actual requirement behind it.
Because electric and hybrid cars make almost no noise whatsoever, the U.S. government is requiring new cars to make a noise when traveling at low speeds — as to alert pedestrians, especially the blind or those with poor eyesight.
The new rule could prevent about 2,400 pedestrian injuries a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
It’s possible, although not announced, that Tesla owners could upload any number of noises for play. Teslarati reports Musk created jungle and rainforest noises for Tesla Owners Silicon Valley. The site also said Musk will explore custom audio files, so that owners can upload any noise they want.
Any noise? That has the potential for getting ugly.
