Hybrid vehicles may be powered by an internal combustion engine or by one or more electric motors. The internal combustion engine produces noise from the ignition and combustion of fuel, among other things. Although mufflers reduce the level of noise emanating from an exhaust system, even the reduced level of noise may exceed requisite noise levels for one or more of the following applications: mowers operating in residential areas, mowers operating on golf courses near golfers or guests, all-terrain vehicles (ATV's) in nature preserves or parks, military vehicles operating in a stealth mode, transportation or commercial vehicles in urban settings, vehicles used indoors at airports or in warehouses. Accordingly, there is a need to control or manage the noise reduction of a vehicle based on its location.
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