A gasoline engine sputtering down the road would draw far more attention than an electric motor, so people bought those.
They’re still doing exactly this. ICE designs have never been quieter, but meanwhile Ford and GM are pumping out the L O U D E S T car options in decades.
The agency has chosen not to adopt the remaining portions of the NPRM, including a proposal which would have allowed manufactures of hybrid and electric vehicles (HEVs) to install a number of driver-selectable pedestrian alert sounds in each HEV they manufacture.
They’re still doing exactly this. ICE designs have never been quieter, but meanwhile Ford and GM are pumping out the L O U D E S T car options in decades.
To be fair BMW and VAG/AUDI put factory pop and crackle modes (intentional over fueling/backfires) in their cars too.
I’ve said adoption of EVs by that crowd will only come when they start slapping very loud and aggressive VESS options onto them
The hardware is already there, someone just needs to mod/hack that in.
In fact, it looks like we were going to get custom sound effects but the DOT killed it:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/07/13/2022-14733/federal-motor-vehicle-safety-standards-minimum-sound-requirements-for-hybrid-and-electric-vehicles