The Sound of Silence
Looking into how sound design is being used to shape the sounds of electric cars
The sound of a car is central to its identity. Consider the roar of a Ford Mustang or the distinct harmony of a Porsche in full flight. Even when the car isn’t built to be obnoxiously loud – like a smooth and quiet Rolls Royce – there is still a sound characteristic attached to the car which reflects the identity associated with the brand or model. This is something that is completely altered by the introduction of electric cars.
The boom of electric vehicles was inevitable as a result of the carbon emissions generated by traditional combustion engines. I’ve always been fascinated with how electric vehicles are almost completely silent. On the one hand, as a fan of cars and the sounds of different engines, I was initially somewhat worried, as I braced myself for what I assumed would result in the deaths of sounds like an iconic Ferrari V12 screaming down a long straight road. On the other hand, I’d often worry about the implications of noise pollution in cities causes by cars, specifically related to how they affect our mental health. An aspect that I had neglected to consider was what silent roads would mean for pedestrians. We’ve adapted to listening for cars before looking for them. Walking through the city, talking to a friend, it’s likely for you to find yourselves stepping into a quiet street before properly checking for oncoming traffic. As someone who cycles in a busy city often, I find myself doing the same on my bike. Moving to a world of silent cars would completely disrupt the safety systems that pedestrians and cyclists have become accustomed to. This is supported by a study by the US Department of Transportation which found hybrid vehicles to be more likely to hit pedestrians and cyclists.
Enter, Sound Design
The combination of these two factors – preservation of brand identity and protection of pedestrians – came together in a way that uniquely required the intervention of sound designers. This was something that I only started paying attention to recently when I watched a video by Vox that discusses this topic, which lead me down a rabbit hole in which I found out that Hans Zimmer had a hand in crafting the sound of the BMW i4! (I love Hans Zimmer). This, for me, brought the worlds of sound design and cars together in a way that I had never before considered.
The Vox video basically breaks down how the two considerations (safety and identity) each pose a set of challenges for sound designers. Beyond the technical challenges of pitch and amplitude set out by AVAS regulations, you have to create a sound that does a number of things. For starters, the selling point for electric cars is that new owners are buying into this idea of The Future, so these cars have to sound like ‘the future’, and not like your average, every day, car. This gives sound designers an essentially blank canvas to work with. The car has to sound cool and exciting for drivers, but different to traditional cars. It also has to sound distinguishable from other loud noises for pedestrians to be able to notice them, while not sounding annoying.
The biggest benefit is that there’s a compromise for me, the lover of car engine sounds (yes, this is all about me). While it might be sad1 that combustion engines may be a thing of the past very soon, there’s a whole new type of engine sound to look forward to. The potential for car sounds is essentially limitless now. Imagine a future where you can choose how your car sounds before you buy it. Or, better yet, a car that lets you change how it sounds whenever you like! Now that’s innovation that excites.
To be clear, I love what electric cars will do to benefit our environment.