The symphony of the future
Electric cars do not make a sound; a quiet buzzing noise at the most..We will later see (or hear) whether things are to stay that way..Dr. Ralf Kunkel, Head of Audi Acoustics, and Nick Mason, drummer with Pink Floyd, have come up with a few ideas.
Normally, Dr. Ralf Kunkel’s job involves reducing the noise emitted from engines to create an acceptable level of sound. However his latest task is a completely different one: he has to teach the electrically powered models in the Audi e-tron range to “speak”.
“Up until now it was easy for pedestrians to locate a normal combustion engine. This is not the case with electric cars. At speeds of less than 25 km/h you can hardly hear anything,” explained Dr. Kunkel. “This could have serious safety implications. Especially for people who rely on sound, such as the partially sighted.”
But what noise would make it possible to locate these vehicles? A wonderful, rich quattro sound? Or the powerful roar of a Le Mans winner? “We can’t just simply use the range of sounds from the past for the cars of the future. A petrol engine should sound like a petrol engine. A diesel like a diesel. Each car has its own character. For us it is vitally important that an electric car makes an unmistakeable noise.”
“The sound that vehicles of the future are given in science fiction films is an interesting starting point,” conceded Dr. Kunkel. He then referred to a blockbuster of seven years ago in which an electrically-powered Audi depicted an inspired vision of the year 2035. “To a certain extent, the Audi RSQ from the Hollywood film ‘I, Robot’ showed the way ahead.”
On a visit to Audi Design in Ingolstadt, drummer Nick Mason, one of the founder members of the legendary band Pink Floyd and groundbreaking sound geek, made the following suggestion. “Perhaps people could download the sound for their electric cars just like they do a ring tone.” Looking at the current ring tone charts, this is not a particularly promising idea.
“Is an Audi actually an Audi at all without any engine noise?” the skilled racing driver asked the group. The Audi Design team turned the tables on Nick Mason and showed him a film in which the highlights of Audi’s motor racing history are dubbed with a high-tech sound that comes very close to that envisaged by Dr. Kunkel.
Mason was stunned, the effect was amazing. A designer from the team casually explained a fundamental truth, “If driving is fun you don’t think about the noise any more after a few seconds. It’s just there and it’s fantastic.”
But Nick Mason had another suggestion, albeit a light-hearted one. “Actually all you need is a piece of string and an empty can, then you’ve got your sound.” What would Dr. Kunkel say to that if he heard it?
