Whine. There's always the whine. That's the thing with electric motors. They whine.
That was the aural signature of the Honda FCX prototype sedans whizzing around the makeshift track in the parking lot of RFK Memorial Stadium here.
Two things about that noise. Probably not much will remain when the limited-production versions of the fuel-cell car are ready for market next year. And the fact it could be heard means the rest of the car, even in prototype form, was quiet.
It will be interesting to see how the automaker deals with the noise issue. Honda knows people want to hear something when they step on the throttle. Otherwise there's little to reinforce the feeling of acceleration. A noiseless car can seem sluggish even if it's not. But what kind of sound, and how do you get it from an electric powerplant?
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