Elon Musk earlier this week put a proverbial middle finger to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) with his announcement that Tesla cars would play slang jazz or Polynesian lift music from an external speaker.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has a sense of humor that many can relate to. Although straightforward and unsustainable in its path to the world’s transition to renewable energy, the South African landowner has a comic side, which usually comes out when people least expect it.
Again, that comic side came out earlier this week, when Musk announced a new addition to Tesla-Eastereinen’s ever-growing arsenal, if that’s where this can be referenced.
New Tesla feature enables your car to play slang jazz or Polynesian lift music through its outdoor speakers wherever you go
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2020
Musk announced that his cars would play the relaxed tunes often found in elevators as specific episodes of Rick and Morty, and Tesla fans fell in love with the idea. Even though it’s a funny addition to the cars, there seems to be a hidden meaning behind it: Elon trolls the NHTSA.
A decade ago, the NHTSA handed over a mandate called the “Pedestrian Enlargement Act of 2010”, which states that electric cars must have a listening sound at speeds below 19 MPH. The noise will warm the pedestrians near the presence of the car. Because electric cars lack an internal combustion engine, the cars make very little noise, which can be a danger to some pedestrians.
The mandate required sound, but the organization never explained which sounds were approved or recommended. That’s why Musk came up with his own.
Because Tesla cars produced after September 1 of last year would have to have a sound, Musk had to comply, or the company’s cars would be considered illegal by the government bureau.
That he took matters into his own hands, and it would not be a stereotypical EV sound.
Many of the sounds that EVs have adopted in other countries because of the mandate are not appealing to owners and have the sounds of futuristic hovercraft. A few members of er / TeslaMotors subreddit stated that they did not buy any specific cars because of the noises needed when traveling at low speeds.
The noises, although understandable to protect pedestrians, are usually not desirable. Rarely are the sounds reminiscent of an actual engine or engine, a case in which the Toyota RAV4 is hybrid.
Musk’s decision to use the tune of an elevator, or in some cases, the slang jazz that Rick and Morty discovered in Season 4, Episode 5, titled, “Rattlestar Ricklatica,” is probably a move that no other motorist would take. Then again, the shoutout to Rick and Morty is close to Musk’s heart, after he appeared in an episode as “Elon Tusk, CEO of Tuskla.”
Musk’s unorthodox methods, however, are more than just a way of resonating with consumer appeal; they are an indirect way of disagreeing with the mandate while complying with the security regulations proposed by the government bureau.
