Add a sound to your quiet electric vehicle.

[JasonB]

First question is:

ICE engine sound or something else.

This is the sound of a BMW i4 electric vehicle accelerating.

Give us your ideas.

 

[Ron E]

To even entertain this idea shows how detached these people are from my demographic. Enthusiasts have loved the textures and sounds from high performance I.C. engines for generations. The sensations from these engines tuned and running as designed have kept radios silent on trips countless times. Maybe younger generations who more readily embrace virtual reality as a substitute for reality will find enjoyment in this technology. But, for many of us who grew up in a reality-based world it is just piped-in elevator music.
So maybe this will work for an ever-increasing chunk of consumers. However, I'm a dinosaur who will be keeping the prices of used hemi powered SRT cars high for years to come.

 

[patfromigh]

Everything sounds artificial to me, because I wear hearing aids. That said the BMW sounds like a blender. For some reason the present generations of Hemi engines speak clearly through my hearing aids. These engines also provide tactile feed back as well, even when idling. To put that sound in an EV would be blasphemy.

Other engine melodies I have enjoyed are the 3 cylinder Saab two stroke (ring-ding) and also the old Kawasaki triple two strokes of times past. I will always remember the sound of the air-cooled VW type-1. I have driven a few, but never owned one. I did own a 440 cubic inch Chrysler T&C. It was a 1972 so it had a Holley carb instead of Carter. The intake roar was wonderful. The voice of that motor gave an aural warning when approaching illegal speeds. What sound ultimately stands out for me was hearing the USAC Dodge Chargers at the Syracuse mile. Those dual quad Hemi engines in those cars literally thundered around the track, very memorable.

The manufacturers will probably offer sound tracks for their BEVs the same way cell phones have ring tones. When there is no joy in driving anymore I will probably take the bus, but that isn't very entertaining since the two-stroke Detroit Diesels have gone away. Transit busses are now going battery electric, the only fun with those is watching the overhead chargers explode.

 

[redriderbob]