Los veh\u00edculos el\u00e9ctricos (VE) son un lienzo en blanco para el dise\u00f1o de sonido.\u00a0M\u00e1s silencioso que sus primos con motor de combusti\u00f3n, el sonido se puede asignar a un EV para transmitir velocidad, capacidad de respuesta, textura e incluso una sensaci\u00f3n de lujo futurista.<\/p>\n
Disturbing the sound of silence<\/strong><\/p>\n Electric vehicles (EVs) are a blank canvas for sound design. Quieter than their combustion engine cousins, sound can be mapped onto an EV to convey speed, responsiveness, texture, and even a sense of futuristic luxury.<\/p>\n In recent years, symphonic composers and Eurodisco pop stars alike have been hired to create \u201csonic identities\u201d for EVs. But skeuomorphic car sounds, or those that imitate a traditional engine, are not of much interest to these designers. Instead, they are creating new sonic experiences, from spectral humming to smooth whirring, to both enhance the sensory experience of electromobility and lend EVs a distinct signature.<\/p>\n EV sound design is not just about aesthetics\u2014it\u2019s also about safety. New regulations\u00a0passed by the UN<\/a>, and in countries around the globe, now require EVs and hybrid EVs to produce a minimum level of sound to protect pedestrians, particularly those visually impaired, who face higher risk of collision with silent vehicles.<\/p>\n As\u00a0global EV sales<\/a>\u00a0continue to climb and\u00a0local<\/a>\u00a0and national\u00a0governments incentivize<\/a>\u00a0their purchase to lower carbon emissions, EV acoustics will not just be about individual experience of driving, but will shape the sound of our urban landscapes. Listen close, because things are about to get less noisy and more musical.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s drive ahead and hear what that future might sound like.<\/p>\n By the decibels<\/em><\/p>\n 10 dB:<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0The level of sound a person makes while breathing.<\/p>\n 43 dB:<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Mandated minimum level of noise that an EV must emit, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, when driving less than 18.6 mph.<\/p>\n 56 dB:<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Mandated minimum level of noise that an EV must emit, according to the EU Regulation on the Sound Level of Motor Vehicles, when driving less than 20 kph (12.4 mph).<\/p>\n 60 dB:<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0Average level of background noise in an urban setting, or the level of noise in a\u00a0normal conversation<\/a>.<\/p>\n 82 dB:<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0The legal noise limit on a standard combustion engine car, according to the UN Economic Commission for Europe.<\/p>\n 105 dB:<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0The level of noise a Dodge Challenger Hellcat\u2019s V8 engine makes, one of the loudest cars ever tested.<\/p>\n 120 dB:<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0The level of noise at a (raucous) rock concert.<\/p>\n Make some noise!<\/strong><\/p>\n For over a decade, the World Blind and European Blind Unions called for a mandatory sound alert system on all quiet vehicles. Their advocacy paid off in 2014, when the\u00a0EU passed legislation<\/a>\u00a0(pdf) requiring all EVs to implement an Acoustic Vehicle Alert System or \u201cAVAS,\u201d also known as a Pedestrian Warning System or \u201cPWS,\u201d by 2019. The UN followed up on\u00a0their own regulations<\/a>\u00a0in 2016. National-level AVAS laws have since been passed in the US, UK, Japan, and many other countries.<\/p>\n An AVAS generates artificial driving noises to alert pedestrians, cyclists, and \u201cVRUs,\u201d or \u201cvulnerable road users,\u201d that a car is nearby. These systems, which can\u00a0project sound<\/a>\u00a0from the front and rear of the car, draw upon the\u00a0human ability to perceive<\/a>\u00a0distance, direction, and acceleration through sound.<\/p>\n The new AVAS mandates are taking designers in some interesting directions.<\/p>\n ⏱️ Yuri Suzuki, a Japanese designer and musician, has created EV sounds that adapt to a car\u2019s location and speed, as well as the\u00a0time of day<\/a>.<\/p>\n 🎭 Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer and sound artist Renzo Vitale together created\u00a0BMW IconicSounds Electric<\/a>, a collection of \u201csoundscapes<\/a>\u201d for their EV line-up that can be changed to reflect different moods.<\/p>\n 🎶 Acoustics for the Nissan Leaf, designed by\u00a0Man Made Music<\/a>, are tailored to suit\u00a0national variation<\/a>\u00a0in what \u201cquality\u201d sounds like, with cars sold in Europe producing lower frequency sounds, and cars in Japan, higher frequency.<\/p>\n 🥁 Composer Leslie Mandoki, former drummer for the Eurodisco band Dschinghis Khan, helped to develop the \u201cconfident and likable<\/a>\u201d hum for the Volkswagen ID 3\u2026<\/p>\n 🛸 \u2026while the 2020 Karma Revero GT has been blasted for\u00a0sounding like a leaf blower<\/a>\u00a0or a \u201cflying saucer that\u2019s been pummeled by asteroids<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n