Gary Zhou 
After the silent vehicle did not warn the animal that it was heading towards it, celebrity actress Jamie Lynn Spears is blaming Tesla for her cat’s death.
Spears, the younger sister of pop music star Britney Spears from the early 2000s, took to her Instagram to complain to Tesla CEO Elon Musk about the car’s silent nature, which she blames for the death of many family cats. In an Instagram story, Spears said, “Someone’s got to let Elon Musk know that the Tesla is a secret cat killer. It’s a problem that we’ve really got to fix.”
Teslas are relatively quiet vehicles due to their lack of a combustion engine, transmission, and other automotive parts that produce noise. In fact, the NHTSA required a noisemaker to be fitted with all electric vehicles produced after September 2019. If the vehicle moves below 19 miles per hour, the noisemaker must trigger, which is the speed that the NHTSA believes noise is sufficiently created by the vehicle to warn pedestrians that the car is close and in motion.
In addition, external cameras are also equipped with Teslas, which give the driver an incredibly clear image of what surrounds the vehicle. While the car creates small amounts of noise when in motion, it is always the duty of the driver to be mindful of their environment.
In a driveway, Spears’ cat, named Turkey, was backed over in a driveway, and sadly, it’s not the first time the family has lost a pet to the car. “We have now lost, I don’t even want to tell you how many cats because they don’t’ hear the Tesla Crank and unfortunate things happen. And it’s really devastating and tragic for everyone involved.”
It is sad, no doubt, that, due to negligence while driving, the Spears have lost some family pets. Although the Tesla lacks noise, it is still the duty of the driver to remain alert. Spears took to Instagram in an effort to persuade CEO Elon Musk that there needs to be a new feature that will warn animals that a nearby vehicle is in motion.
Tesla clearly has a soft spot for dogs, and the company added “Dog Mode” many years ago so that animals could stay at an acceptable temperature while their owner is not in the car during an errand. It wouldn’t have to be an irritating or stereotypical EV noise, Spears suggests. “Maybe [Elon] could make one of those noises that bother a cat or animal’s ears when it cranks up, so that way they know something’s happening and it’s not caught off guard.”
The noise could likely be added in a software update and would be considered useful for the owners of outdoor pets. Whether Musk decides to add the feature is ultimately up to him, but with the company’s soft spot for animals, there is a good possibility that Musk may consider the option.
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