[Aika Auto Technical Interpretation Original]
In the more than one hundred years since the birth of the car, the roar of the engine is like human breathing, which is an indispensable factor in the state of the vehicle. We can judge the state of the body by the frequency or depth of breathing, and we can also understand the state of the vehicle through the sound of the engine, especially when you are just learning to drive, the instructor will teach the engine sound to judge the timing of the upshift, and when the slope is up, the sound change of the engine to determine whether the clutch is already in a semi-linkage state... During driving, the sound of the engine plays an important role in connecting us to the vehicle. However, with the advent of the era of electrification, when "quiet" becomes the selling point of electric vehicles, this long-established connection between us and vehicles also disappears.
Pedestrian warning systems are included in the regulations, and warning sounds are a way to show individuality
The connection between the vehicle and the pedestrian seems to be more important than the link between the driver and the vehicle, which is about pedestrian safety. In the era of fuel vehicles, the engine roar is more like a warning sound for the surroundings, the size of the warning sound determines the level of danger, and the larger the exhaust sound, the more attention and vigilance can be caused. According to a national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) of 8,000 electric vehicles, hybrids and 60,000 fuel vehicles, electric vehicles, hybrids and pedestrians are 50% more likely to be involved in traffic accidents than fuel vehicles at driving speeds below a certain speed.
Countries have issued laws requiring electric vehicles to be equipped with AVAS pedestrian warning devices at the factory.
This is also why various countries have issued regulations requiring electric vehicles to be equipped with pedestrian warning devices when leaving the factory. As early as 2010, the United States took the lead in enacting the Pedestrian Safety Promotion Act, requiring all electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to increase warning devices and issue warning sounds when advancing or reversing at a speed of about 30km/h (19 mph). In September 2017, the mainland also issued the national mandatory standard GB7258-2017 "Technical Conditions for the Safety of Motor Vehicle Operation", requiring that from January 1, 2018, "pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles should be able to give appropriate prompting sounds to personnel outside the vehicle when the vehicle starts and the speed is lower than 20km/h." ”
The structure of pedestrian warning devices is often very simple, consisting mainly of a loudspeaker at the front of the car.
However, national regulations do not strictly limit the form of warning sounds. For car companies, the "buzzing" sound emitted by early electric vehicles at low speeds is only to meet the requirements of regulations, after all, it seems inappropriate to transplant the prompt tone of "reverse please note" directly to electric vehicles. Perhaps also inspired by the "reverse attention", car companies began to try to differentiate the warning sound.
Tesla's BoomBox feature enables it to replace the sound of a horn with a sheep's bark or fart.
Whether it's Hyundai Mobis, which can play music or charging cue voice (The largest auto parts supplier in South Korea under Hyundai Kia Motors Group), or Tesla, which uses the BoomBox function to replace the sound of horns with sheep or farts, what they have in common is the use of hidden external speakers to try to create some movement for quiet electric cars.
Modern Mobis which can play music or charge prompt voice outside
After all, the car as an important part of the city, if every electric vehicle opens the outside speaker to "express their own opinions", the scene is like everyone in the subway put the mobile phone open, so it is rare for car companies like Hyundai Mobis and Tesla to use the outside speaker to be innovative. However, many car companies have begun to voice electric vehicles in another way.
The screech of the high-speed engine has long been a symbol of Formula 1, and the formula E's arena is only the sound of electric currents.
In the era of electric vehicles, without the exhaust sound of the engine, it is difficult for the driver to feel the acceleration very intuitively, especially for those who have only driven traditional cars, which is an unfamiliar experience. It's like when you're sitting in the stands of F1 looking at the intense Formula 1 and suddenly pressing the mute button on you, today's Formula E is The Formula 1 after being muted. The lack of immersion is not only a problem that Formula E needs to face today, but also a problem that all electric vehicle companies need to face. After all, most motorists are used to perceiving the vehicle through the sound of the engine. Dubbing electric vehicles has become an effective way to help people perceive electric vehicles more directly. However, this is definitely not a simple thing, like Steven Spielberg in 1993 when he needed to voice dinosaurs when he made Jurassic Park, but no one has heard dinosaurs. What kind of sound should be given to electric vehicles has become a headache for car companies.
Restoring the roar of the high-displacement V8 engine for electric vehicles became Ford's choice for the Mustang Mach-E.
Continuing the past is not the same as copying the past
For this problem, automakers are divided into two camps. One camp of automakers advocates transplanting the roar of fuel vehicles directly onto electric vehicles, which will make it sound less "electric" and more conducive to people's acceptance of classic models that have been electrified, and Ford belongs to this category. The sound design engineers of the Ford Mustang Mach-E recreated the roar of the American high-displacement V8 engine for the driver in the cockpit, "this sound must have the innate sense of power of the Mustang Mustang model," Ford engineer explains. Similar to Ford are Jaguar, Audi and other brands.
Pedestrian warning systems are included in the regulations
It is worth mentioning that the electric Hummer in this camp has played a new trick. GMC's electric Hummer in the "Watts to Freedom" (similar to the fuel vehicle LAUNCH CONTROL) driving mode, when the driver presses the brake pedal while stepping down the accelerator pedal, the woofer will vibrate, creating an effect similar to the speed of the combustion engine. In Terrain Mode, heavier bass helps the driver feel the state of the vehicle, which is very similar to driving a fuel vehicle to judge the strength of the power output by the engine sound during off-road. In Off-Road Mode, a deeper rumble is heard as the vehicle travels fast on gravel roads.
Simulating the vibrations of the engine through the vibration of the woofer, this attempt by the electric Hummer is eye-catching.
Vibrating through the woofer, the electric Hummer provides a more stereoscopic experience for the driver
More car companies choose to give new voices to electric vehicles
The other camp gave a very different answer. "We shouldn't live in the shadows of the past, it's a whole new thing after all." As one of the suppliers of parts for Nissan's LEAF models, an audio production studio called "Made Music Studio" expressed their attitude. There's also GM in that camp: "We want it to sound both technological and futuristic." GM is experimenting with creating the exclusive sound of electric vehicles from guitars, pianos, and the Digiridu pipe, a traditional musical instrument of Australia's Aboriginal tribes.
The Mercedes-Benz EQS is able to provide different sound effects depending on the driving mode
Unlike the Porsche Taycan, which uses motor-based analog sound, Audi's sound designers have collected richer sound footage for the e-tron GT.
As can be seen from a video released by Audi, Audi's sound engineers even used the sound emitted by the rotation of the helicopter propeller as material for the sound of electric vehicles. However, BMW seems to be more bloody than GM and Audi's sound engineers who use the sound material of "sword to go sideways" to dub electric vehicles.
Teaming up with Oscar winner Hans Zimmer is perhaps the biggest gimmick of BMW's "IconicSunds Electric."
The i4 is equipped with the "IconicSounds Electric" sound pack
BMW teamed up with Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer to create a sound pack called "IconicSounds Electric", which has been successfully used in models including the i4 and iX. According to BMW, there are two modes to choose from within the sound package, which are Expressive and Relax, each with an iconic sound. The former uses higher pitches such as violin to create a more interesting, abstract experience. These sounds are contrasted with neon lights in curved screens and ambient lighting, creating a new atmosphere in the cockpit. The latter, The Relax mode, provides softer, quieter, more harmonious sound and lighting designed to create a gentle environment.
The optional Star Wars sound for the Porsche Taycan costs an additional RMB 4,600.
Porsche, by contrast, has made sound a deal. If you're driving a Taycan and want to hear a sound similar to the acceleration of a Sci-Fi spacecraft in Star Wars, you can opt for the Porsche Electric Sport Sound, which is priced at RMB 4,600 in China.
Pininfarina makes Battista's voice full of "metaphysical" overtones by superimposing bass of specific frequencies.
Battista's sound design is more like "metaphysics"
In addition, Pininfarina seems to have incorporated the "metaphysics" of sound into its electric Hypercar, battista. Instead of simulating engine sound for drivers like other electric car brands, Pininfarina chose to add a bass of 54 Hz to the sound produced by the four electric motors, which can be divisible by 432 Hz. According to Pininfarina, it was composer Giuseppe Verdi's favorite note, and the official video shows placing a container containing liquid on top of a loudspeaker, and the water surface produces a unique pattern. This sound is called "Suono Puro" (pure sound in Italian), and it is emitted not only through the 12 speakers in the car, but also by the speakers outside the car. Whatever the magic of a 54 Hz or 432 Hz sound is, it's easy to think of the impact of thermal, hydro and nuclear power on HIFI sound quality.
Conclusion: Dubbing the originally quiet electric vehicle has become a means for major car companies to seek product differentiation. In the era of electrification, most of the electric motors and battery packs come from suppliers, and it is difficult for car companies to rely on the research and development results in the field of engines to build product selling points as in the past. When everyone uses electric motors and battery packs from the same supplier, the only parts that can be proud of are the relatively "soft" parts such as dubbing, car system, and use functions.
The noise and vibration attached to the engine are difficult to make a difference in this field before this, and electric vehicles that are quieter than fuel vehicles provide such a stage for car companies. The same principle can be extended to today's increasingly complex central control systems, and the ever-expanding size of the central control screen also allows car companies to give electric vehicles more additional attributes such as game halls and movie theaters on the basis of commuting tools.
For consumers, these dubbings of car companies can indeed add a "sense of substitution" to electric vehicles to a certain extent, but unlike the real exhaust sound of fuel vehicles, the "sense of substitution" of electric vehicles is more entertaining, and it is difficult for people to have any obsession with the "ambient sound" of electric vehicles like the echo sound of "boo, boo" in the past. After all, that era has gradually left us.
Continuing the past? Or creating the future?