Audi is working to turn on the sound of its electric models
When an electric car is traveling at a speed of less than 25 km / h, it is virtually silent.
This can be very dangerous for pedestrians, even if the speed is very low. If you have hearing problems, you may not distinguish the sound of an approaching electric vehicle. Audi is working on establishing a sound for low speeds, by incorporating an external sound system in its e-tron.
This silence is one of the interesting parts in the design of an electric vehicle, but it remains problematic, as this speed is only for places where there is too much traffic or in parking lots where pedestrians and motorists pass. So Audi is working on a sound that differs from that of a heat engine, a new unique sound and very typical to the four-rings brand.
“The obvious approach would be to work on the basis of the familiar sound of a combustion engine,” says Christian Schiller, Head of Brand Development/Corporate Identity. “On the other hand, we want to underscore that an electric or hybrid Audi is an innovative product. We also want to make our Vorsprung durch Technik audible in the era of electric mobility.”
The acoustics team working on this project aims to develop a sound that reflects the core values of the brand. Remember the movie “I, Robot”, featuring the famous Audi RSQ, which was designed especially for the film? We might soon be able to hear sounds like those of the model in this movie, as Audi could very well provide us with a sound image similar to that of the RSQ.
Hearing a car manufacturer talk about the sound design of its models is not something we’re used to, but the arrival of electric cars on the market drives manufacturers into taking up on this issue, unexploited until now.
Image source: Automobilemag
