It is a very good thing that automotive gasoline and diesel engines have been made to run much cleaner and more efficiently than in the past; being a former trucker, I’ve been to L.A. several times, and the last time was in late October of 2009; the big HOLLYWOOD sign is VERY VISIBLE from U.S. Highway 101. I also agree that electric cars and hybrids are better for the environment. However, unless there is a technological breakthrough that makes it possible for pure electric cars to have a greater range, they will only be good as short-distance commuter cars, which is fine if you live in an urban area; no contributing to pollution either. Hybrids are good since they combine gasoline and electric, so that when your charge runs low your gas engine will turn on and act as both propulsion and as a generator to recharge your electric supply. And public transportation should be trolley cars with overhead wires in ALL big cities, just like in the late 1800s and early 1900s; they got it right the first time, NO pollution.
Now, as for noise, my personal opinion is that today’s cars are TOO quiet; if you’re out walking or riding a bicycle in an area where there are no sidewalks, by the time you hear a modern car coming up from behind you it’s right up on you, which is VERY BAD if its driver is an idiot who’s not paying attention and runs you over. I’m not saying that regular street cars should all put out NASCAR-level decibels, but it would be nice if they’d be audible enough to be heard from a reasonably safe distance; glad I have a rearview mirror on my bike, otherwise I’d be looking over my left shoulder every few seconds to make sure some moron wasn’t about to run me down. A phrase that is known by motorcycle riders, “loud pipes save lives”, points out that loud motorcycles are much more likely to alert car and truck drivers of their presence; to a reasonable degree, that could also apply to cars so that people out walking or bicycling can hear them coming. One more thing, for us “Good Ol’ Boys” who like to watch NASCAR racing, there’s nothing like the sound of a stock car with a super-powerful, cammed-up V-8, and 43 of them making the ground shake as they go around a track is even better; just wouldn’t be the same with barely-audible electric motors humming around the track.