The sound of electric cars

One of the challenges for sound designers is designing the sound of electric cars. Indeed, for a population accustomed to the noise of cars, the fact that the electric motor emits a nearly inaudible sound is a risk that significantly increases the number of hit by a car.

It has been shown that not hearing any car noise causes a drastic reduction in attention in pedestrians about to cross a street, especially if there is heavy traffic. Thus, even with the advent of electric cars, we will not be able to enjoy peace in the city. The risk justifies the idea of equipping electric cars with a synthetic sound.

Since 2019, there has also been an EU regulation requiring electric cars to emit a sound (AVAS: Acoustic Vehicle Alert System). Interestingly, according to the European Commission, the sound should be representative of changes in the vehicle's state, for example, suggesting that the vehicle is accelerating or slowing down, and reversing should have a different sound.

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