The future of driving sounds simple – and that’s good

If you’ve ever experienced the strange silence of an electric vehicle passing by, you know that electric vehicles don’t make much noise – or at least they don’t have to. They don’t have gas-powered engines or transmissions to produce the sound of a classic car. Still, there’s an entire industry dedicated to making electric vehicles sound real somethingprimarily for safety reasons. After all, pedestrians rely on their ability to hear an approaching car – which is why research suggests that electric and hybrid vehicles are twice as likely to hit pedestrians than gasoline-powered cars. This is why the United States and other countries require all electric vehicles to be equipped with an acoustic vehicle alert system (AVAS).

As you can imagine, some automakers saw such mandates as an opportunity to get creative with the sounds their EVs make. The Porsche Taycan has an attention-grabbing AVAS sound that’s meant to evoke an upscale and forward-thinking sensibility, while the Fisker Karma seems to emit an epic heavy-metal power chord. Other brands, such as the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Bolt, have opted for a high-pitched, UFO-like sound. And I understand why: driving a car that sounds futuristic and unique can be fun. Additionally, it allows automakers to make their electric vehicles sound as on-brand as their cars – as memorable as an advertising jingle. But this thinking must evolve.

Even as political conditions change and automakers slow their EV ambitions in the cooling market, it is clear that EVs If future. But I’m increasingly convinced that it shouldn’t sound like “future”. Instead, automakers must strike a balance – not only to serve the tastes of car owners, but also for a host of health and environmental reasons. As the world becomes more and more populated with technology-based products and experiences – each with its own attention-grabbing artificial sound – it’s important that at least car sounds are rooted in the real world and, frankly, a little more “ordinary” than some would consider they did it. like.

What matters is what the future sounds like

It may seem strange to hear this from a brand sonic designer, but I am very skeptical (and even critical) of companies that view AVAS sounds as a key branding opportunity – as a way to create a highly distinctive brand sound that stands out to the world. Not only does this approach fail to prioritize functional, human-centered needs (particularly for visually impaired and blind pedestrians), but drivers don’t even want it. When we recently surveyed drivers as part of an in-depth audio brand study, they said they preferred their EVs to use AVAS’s non-tonal sounds rather than something more futuristic and tonally distinctive.

There are also wider issues that AVAS sounds affect – noise pollution is a costly problem, with sounds from transport (particularly road traffic) causing 80% of noise pollution in cities. Reports link noise pollution to everything from poor cardiovascular health to a variety of ailments such as speech disruptions, hearing loss, sleep disturbances and loss of productivity. It also disrupts wildlife health and mating cycles, leading to reduced biodiversity. With research suggesting that most cars will be electric by 2050, it’s easy to see why it’s time to take a serious look at scaling back some AVAS approaches.

I appreciate that we live in a culture that opposes anything that could be perceived as a restriction of freedom. Regulations are also perceived as a barrier to innovation. And since it’s an election year, electric vehicles have become a hot political topic, making it difficult to discuss them without getting into the controversial climate and environmental debates taking place across industries.

For better or worse, the sounds cars make also have strong cultural and emotional associations with power and strength – especially in the case of heavy-duty vehicles, trucks and performance vehicles. Automotive brands are still grappling with how to honor these traditional features in a healthy way while turning to the future of electric vehicles. The last thing they want is a more limited set of tools to connect with drivers.

But even with some sonic limitations, there’s still plenty of room for creativity and differentiation. It’s not that AVAS sounds are necessarily uniform – being able to distinguish vehicles based on distinct AVAS sounds can still help pedestrians. Too much uniformity can create a wave of noise if there are many vehicles on the road, making it difficult for pedestrians (especially blind people) to instinctively understand which cars are closer and which are farther, and whether something poses a more or less immediate threat and which requires more attention or higher vigilance . Instead, automakers need to take on the creative challenge of over-indexing features and integration into the audio environment while still offering something sonically pleasing.

Setting sound standards for the automotive industry

The responsibility for setting a better sound standard rests with both car designers and manufacturers. The influence and evolution certainly comes from the top, but it’s also a dialogue between brands and the designers they work with. That means helping automakers make decisions that strengthen their businesses, appeal to consumers, communicate brand ideals and support functional product experiences without harming everyday experiences in our cities and towns.

There is great value in establishing a common set of design principles, regardless of whether they become mandatory regulations. For example, if all car manufacturers agreed to design AVAS sounds within a limited set of musical keys that work harmoniously together – this could be a less restrictive way to solve the problem and allow both tonal and non-tonal sounds to work harmoniously. together more effectively. It would also still allow for some creative design choices and brand differentiation, while limiting the risk of causing pedestrian anxiety or increasing noise pollution.

In any case, it is the interior sounds of the car that are appropriate, not the exterior ones Really create something that stands out. As the interior becomes a more multi-sensory experience – with an LED dashboard and interior lighting that can change color and intensity depending on driving mode – this creates countless sonic branding opportunities for brands and designers looking to harness the power of sound. By thinking about the overall audio experience of an EV, designers place less of a burden on AVAS to carry the burden of the brand experience one might have.

But the first step is to convince automakers to take a more “business as usual” approach – building a new electric vehicle sound ecosystem that people can rely on for their health and safety. As electric vehicles replace gas-powered vehicles, it will certainly change the way we live every day – in both obvious and unexpected ways. For the sake of drivers, pedestrians and car manufacturers, sound cannot be an afterthought. Let’s take this opportunity and do it right.

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