Nissan's Leaf to drive with futuristic "Blade Runner sound"

Nissan Motor's Leaf is already widely regarded as pretty futuristic for its positioning as the world's first mass-market, all-electric vehicle. But according to the firm the car, which is to be released next year, will also sound pretty futuristic.

Engineers at the Japanese auto giant turned to composers of film scores for advice on how to tackle the safety issues that would result from the otherwise near silent car. The result, developed by Nissan's seven-member sound engineering team, is a high-pitched noise reminiscent of Spinners – or flying cars – featured in the 1992 science fiction film Blade Runner.

"We wanted something a bit different, something closer to the world of art," Nissan noise and vibration expert Toshiyuki Tabata told the Bloomberg news agency.

Ironically, Tabata had spent 30 years at Nissan with the job of making petrol-fuelled vehicles quieter. His job duties took a U-turn three years ago, when he was tasked with the mission of recreating an engine sound for the Leaf.

Instead, Tabata said, the sound engineering team "decided that if we're going to do this, if we have to make sound, then we're going to make it beautiful and futuristic".

The sound system will automatically be activated when the car starts and shut off when the car's speed reaches 20km/h, the point at which electric cars would generate tire noise.

Nissan is now considering equipping all units with the sound system when the model is launched next year.

The move comes as Japan and the US consider new regulations that would require electric and hybrid cars to make a sound when travelling at low speeds. The aim is to alert passersby, particularly those who are vision-impaired or on bicycles, when a vehicle is approaching.

Government-commissioned reports on the issue from the two nations are expected to be released within the next five months.

UK car design specialist Lotus Engineering has taken a more conventional route, having designed a sound system for green cars that produces a synthesised engine noise through a waterproof speaker mounted on the radiator.