Should all electric cars make noise for safety purposes?

One of the more bizarre problems confronting governments around the world is the fact that electric vehicles are so quiet that very often pedestrians cannot hear them approaching. As a consequence the US authorities have decided that all electric vehicles should make some “noise” in order to ensure that pedestrians can hear them.

While it is a little surreal to see a car speeding past with little or no on noise, do we really need these electric cars to make “noise” for safety purposes alone?