Electric scooter gets speaker to sound like sports car

Electric scooters are all the rage in many cities across the world. The electric-powered two-wheelers are helping people nimbly zip through traffic and effortlessly get about town. However, they have also brought problems and safety concerns. Many scooter riders disregard road regulations, ignore traffic lights and illegally ride on sidewalks. A major scooter manufacturer has started selling a speaker that will alert pedestrians and other road users of the scooter's presence. Segway is marketing a new speaker accessory that can add V12 engine noises to its scooters. Alternatively, the user can plug in their music device and the speaker will boom out the rider's favourite tunes.

Segway's $150 Ninebot Engine Speaker can play music or revved up sports car sounds for 23 hours when fully charged. The speaker syncs with the scooter's accelerator, so the faster the vehicle goes, the louder the speaker's rev sounds are. Segway said its engine speaker acts as a continuous warning to anyone in earshot that the rider is approaching. Many road safety analysts believe the speaker could reduce the number of collisions between scooter riders and pedestrians. However, critics are concerned about an increase in noise pollution. They say the beauty of electric engines is their silence. They believe a simple beeping sound is sufficient to alert other road users and a V12 sound is overkill.