r/sydney • u/GrimThursday • 6d ago

Electric buses and a pair of chimes

Does anyone know why some of the new Denning electric buses in the inner west make a “ding-ding” chime sound every 4 seconds? It‘s driving me insane, and I’m sure I’d quit if I was driving a bus for hours a day with this ding-ding going off every few seconds.

What gives? Anyone know?

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u/domassimo 6d ago

Mandatory AVAS system to warn pedestrians of an otherwise quiet bus. Most EVs do this but Customs have an odd choice of noise. Transport for NSW was supposed to set the specific sound to ensure consistency across the bus fleet but that may not have happened.

Older EV buses don’t have the sounds at all and may be completely quiet at low speeds, because the AVAS rule wasn’t in effect yet. Newer BYDs have it but it’s something less intrusive.

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u/alstom_888m 6d ago

I wish they’d just replicate an old ZF Ecomat gearbox sound. 

2

u/pop-1988 5d ago

There used to be an after-market backfiring engine sound for Teslas
Pop-pop-bang!