Ford is asking fans of its Electric Vehicles Facebook page to see what their preferred sound would for the new Focus electric car when it launches later this year.
According to the US car maker nearly 300 people have already ranked their preference on the four sounds which Ford is considering. Furthermore, nearly 3,400 Ford employees also chimed in with their opinions when the poll was first trialled on the car maker’s intranet site.
Describing the noises as varying from a throaty rumble to some more soft and soothing, the firm hopes its fans will have a clear idea of what they want the first electric car model it produces to sound like.
The car maker is looking to add the noise to its first electric model as the US moves to introduce legislation making it necessary for such quiet vehicles to produce artificial noise at low speeds. Pedestrian groups and groups representing visually impaired people have expressed concerns that these types of vehicles could represent a danger due to their low noise levels when travelling 25mph. As such Ford is eager to prepare for the new law and mitigate safety concerns.
Nearly 300 fans ranked Ford’s sounds, while 400 posted comments.
“The poll tells us two things: Without a question, people are interested in the future of electric vehicles, and they want to be heard,” said Scott Monty, Ford digital and multimedia communications manager. “Consistent with our overall approach to social media, we’ve given customers a chance to have a voice and we’ve gone the extra step of acknowledging their input and building it into our business process.”
Check the Ford’s four sounds on its Electric Vehicles Facebook page here.
The electric version of the Focus will have a top speed of 84 mph and is capable of fully recharging in three to four hours at home using the available wall-mounted 240-volt charge station.
The Ford Focus Electric is to debut in the US in late 2011, and is planned for launch in Europe in 2012. Ford plans to produce five hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and battery electric vehicles for the North American market by 2012 and European markets by 2013.
