Is silence suddenly not so popular? All about the sound of electric vehicles

The sound in cars is really a mystery.

Once upon a time, people's requirement for cars was "silence is better than sound". Good quietness is a major selling point of fuel vehicles, especially for luxury cars with higher comfort requirements, excellent NVH is a hard indicator. In a noisy city, a car with good quietness can make people feel isolated from the world as soon as they sit in it, quiet and harmonious. And various OEMs and tire manufacturers have also racked their brains to improve the quietness of the car.

I don't know when it started, but when someone linked engine noise with driving pleasure, the "double standard" nature hidden deep in human genes was revealed. "Noise is the soul of the car", "Don't talk to me about driving pleasure if the car has no noise", "The high-pitched natural aspiration noise is simply adrenaline rushing" and other words are simply ridiculous. It seems that in performance cars, people's demand has changed to "noise is better than silence". "One man's meat is another man's poison".

Even different noises are played with in various ways: the deep sound of a naturally aspirated engine, the blasting sound of a delayed ignition system, the "pu~pu~" sound of a turbo pressure relief valve... Exhaust modification is also one of the favorite projects of modified car enthusiasts. After all, you can experience the fun of supercars in hearing with less money. Although at the same time, you will also be looked down upon by the aunties in the community because of the huge noise.

As pure electric vehicles gradually entered people's horizons, manufacturers gradually found that there was not much difference in appearance design. Especially after domestic brands and new car manufacturers hired big-name designers, their appearance and interior design became more and more realistic, even surpassing some multinational car companies. For example, NIO ES8, BYD Han, Ideal One and the Qiantu K5 with a very impressive appearance. It is said that when the hotel security saw this car, they asked the Porsche 718 to vacate the parking space at the lobby entrance.

Just like high school students from well-off families, even if they wear the same school uniform, they still try to show their uniqueness through AJ sneakers, carefully designed hairstyles, and new smart watches. When pure electric vehicles came into people's view, when there was no overwhelming advantage in design, they started to start with sound.

Pure electric vehicles do not have engines and are driven by electric motors, so they are silent during driving. However, because they are too quiet, pedestrians on the road often cannot sense the movement of the vehicle, which poses a safety hazard.

According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on 8,000 hybrid vehicles and 60,000 fuel vehicles, under conditions below a certain driving speed, the probability of traffic accidents between hybrid vehicles and pedestrians is 50% higher than that of fuel vehicles.

Therefore, governments around the world have also introduced regulations requiring electric vehicles to "make sounds" to protect the safety of pedestrians. For example, my country issued the national recommended standard GB/T 37153-2018 "Electric Vehicle Low-Speed ​​Warning Sound" on December 28, 2018, and it was officially implemented on July 1, 2019.

The EU also stipulates that starting from July 1, 2019, electric vehicles sold in the EU (including all new and all existing electric vehicles) must be equipped with a noise generating device (Vehicle Acoustic Alert System AVAS, also known as the electric vehicle low-speed driving warning sound system) before 2021, and electric vehicles that are already on the road will need to be reinstalled.

With the introduction of the regulations, various car companies have also responded. For example, Jaguar has developed and installed a vehicle sound warning system for its first pure electric car I-Pace. When the vehicle speed is below 20km/h, the system will be activated, and the alarm sound will be emitted by the speaker installed behind the front grille of the car. As the speed increases, the tone and volume of the alarm will increase. In addition, when the direction of the car changes when reversing, the alarm will emit other sounds to remind pedestrians.

In addition, many luxury brands have been thinking about digital analog sound waves in order to let users experience the same driving pleasure as fuel vehicles. Audi e-tron GT first gained popularity in "Avengers 4" with its specially tuned analog sound waves. BMW's Concept i4 even invited the world's top composer Hans Zimmer to create a unique electronic sound wave together with BMW acoustic engineer and musician Renzo Vitale.

Some car companies go a step further: Ford sound designers worked with the famous Ozone music studio to design three different sounds for its first pure electric model, the Mustang Mach-E, corresponding to its three driving modes: Whisper, Engage, and Unbridled. From gentle to passionate, the sounds gradually escalate with the aggressiveness of the driving mode.

It is said that Ford's original intention was to hope that Mustang Mach-E would provide users with the quiet and comfortable driving experience unique to electric vehicles while also allowing them to enjoy the fun of driving a Mustang. Based on this, the Ford team studied a lot of sounds, from movies to machinery, from Formula-E racing to roller coasters, to the sounds of amusement parks and the sounds of traditional internal combustion engines. The final Mustang Mach-E sound includes futuristic sound elements with traditional Mustang sound elements. The goal is to make the sound as real as possible and in line with the Mustang brand tonality. Afterwards, the Ford team conducted local user interviews in Dallas, Los Angeles, Germany and China to let them make the final choice for the sound of Mustang Mach-E.

It is understandable that Ford has put so much effort into the sound of this model. The heavy rumble of the V8 engine has always been the essence of the Mustang sports car. Although the Mustang Mach-E is a pure electric model, it still carries the Mustang brand. Ford certainly does not want this car to be "in name only" and must inherit as much as possible, and digital simulation sound is a good choice. In terms of design, Ford also added Mustang's most iconic shark nose front face shape and three columnar taillights to the appearance of this car.

Ford is well aware that the key to the success or failure of the Mustang Mach-E is whether the public recognizes this pure electric SUV as a real Mustang. This cannot be achieved by simply adding Mustang to the car name or putting a pony logo on the front of the car, but by gaining public recognition. There is an old American saying: "If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it is a duck!" At least in this respect, Ford has done a good job.

Perhaps because they think it is a waste to leave such a beautiful sound in the car for the owner to enjoy alone, Ford recently collaborated with Detroit electronic artist Matthew Dear to incorporate three kinds of sound waves into his song "New Breed". Currently, it can be listened to on Apple Music, QQ Music, NetEase Cloud Music and other music streaming platforms. Interested friends can give it a try, and it is still extremely comfortable.

Some people say that Ford is good at playing with "unorthodox" things. Indeed, Ford's recent series of marketing communications around Mustang Mach-E are trying to get rid of the traditional marketing model, break the circle, and get closer to young people. The users of Mustang Mach-E are also very clear, that is, those young people who love to play, know how to play, and do not follow the crowd. "Hearing the sound before seeing the car" is the most appropriate way to describe this car. I look forward to more surprises after it officially lands in China in the future.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.