EV Magazine June 2023 | Page 80

We can certainly expect AVAS to work handin-hand with some of the most sophisticated autonomous driving solutions out there to warn pedestrians and other road users of an EV ’ s presence .

CREATING THE MODERN AUTOMOTIVE SOUNDSCAPE

While automotive manufacturers like GM are looking at ways to reinvent the sound experience from a safety perspective , it seems there are very few limitations to the sounds they can use . More importantly , sound design doubles as a way to differentiate between vehicles , much like how some drivers would tell the difference between ICEs using their engine sounds .

Injecting new sounds into cars is not about creating new noise that bleeds into the background , but instead accentuating the components , such as an EV motor sound , to allow nearby pedestrians to gauge the speed at which cars are travelling — or their rate of acceleration .

“ With the absence of the engine , there is an electric motor in the car , and we enhance that sound , which is done by a broad team of engineers ,” says Kapadia . “ We have experts in GM as well who work on creating these propulsion sounds and enhancing the motor sound , because the motor ’ s inherent natural sound is a cacophony . We have to mask certain frequencies and we have to enhance certain frequencies .”

LISTENING OUT FOR NEW COMMERCIAL EV ENDEAVOURS

Understanding how sounds can impact the EV industry and how it fits with a growing population inherently opens up new opportunities for job roles to merge into

The GMC Hummer , known by many , is not only going electric , but also features the ‘ Crabwalk ’ function , making driving all the more comfortable and convenient for drivers . Sound designers have been working on specific sounds for GM cars , but the Hummer ’ s Crabwalk is given its own .

EVs like these act as the canvases for more creativity when it comes to using sounds .

WATCH

80 [ June 2023 ] EVMAGAZINE . COM