Electricity killed the radio star
Why the way the electric motors of the future sound could be just as important as how they go...
We'll probably have a good old laugh about all this in a few years' time when variants of the washing machine motor will be powering most, if not all, cars, and firms like Sony and LG will be the biggest players on the world stage (automotive included). Here and now, though, we're all still highly energised by our beloved internal combustion engines - and it's mainly to do with the noise they make.
A few weeks back, Jenson Button made an unfavourable comparison between today's low-revving F1 cars and the 21,000rpm V10 screamers of yore. The fact that F1's new stars-and-stripes-top-hat-wearing overlords are trying to spice up the sound by implanting new microphones in the cars might not seem that inspiring, but it shows the importance that we, the paying public, attach to the right sort of mechanical noise. Throw in the strong indication from Porsche, two years after the anti-reveal of the four-pot Boxster, that its much more soulful flat-six can after all continue in the next Boxster Spyder, and we start to see the power of the human earhole.
How will the manufacturer of an electric vehicle get around the fact that their motor is about as sonically interesting as an unoiled mangle? Eventually, of course, we will become accustomed to whatever we're served up, but in today's critical transition phase from litres to volts, it's odd how disinterested EV makers seem to be in the idea of making their 'engines' interesting.
It's not going to be easy. An electric motor is an extremely simple thing that quietly converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. The conversion of fuel into energy is a lot more exciting, involving noise, explosions, vibration and smells, none of which you would hope to find in an electric motor. The only smell you're likely to get from an EV - other than the whiff of disappointment arising from the lack of fuel-burning - is the rather worrying hot-wire stench that will be all-too familiar to anyone who's ever owned a Scalextric set.
The inherent tedium of EVs isn't electricity's fault: it's just the way science goes. But it's an issue that will surely have to be addressed in order for there to be wiggle room for the marketing bods to operate in. Presently, the only point of difference between one EV and another is how many motors it has.
The assumption is that progress will move the electric motor on from its present makeup of a rotor and a stator inside a grey metal casing to something rather more exciting, visually as well as aurally. Before they were shrouded in black plastic to put us off the idea of home maintenance, many car engines succeeded in taking on an aesthetic as well as a mechanical appeal. Even the ugly ancillary-encrusted Porsche 911 motor has managed to evolve into an objet d'art in the Singer/Williams 500hp Mezger unit, a wonderfully rendered and brilliantly integrated masterpiece that will sound as good as it looks
Unless and until a similar degree of glamourisation is brought to bear on the electric motor, the 'engine' as a basic concept will shrink back from its current starring position to much more of a bit-part role. And that will be a pity.
In the meantime, the internal combustion engine is hanging in there with some interesting death-throe developments of its own. Mazda's Skyactiv project is probably the most intriguing mechanical development programme that most people have never heard of. And the variable compression ratio engine that was previewed by Saab's hinging-head design of the early 2000s has just reappeared nearly two decades later in Infiniti's QX50 prototype, scheduled for production in 2019.
As your old Dad probably used to say, there's nowt new under the sun. Let's hope that some of that enlightenment will shine on the electric motor.
Tesla V8 emulation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpX4rNtVP-g
Setting up - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2JPi3vcqtI
Tesla V8 emulation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpX4rNtVP-g
Setting up - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2JPi3vcqtI
Noise of an engine is so much of the whole driving experience - that's why I own so many V8's.
Not sure a lot can be done with the EV's - although some enhancement of the Jet-like whistle of the Formula -E cars might be quite cool.
If we're so bothered about noise, why do we insist on buying cars with in-car entertainment? Granted not everyone will take such an extreme view as me, and I do love a good V8 (or V6, V12, I5 etc), but even PH spends as much of its time commenting on the quality of ICE and Infotainment systems in new car reviews as it does on performance, handling etc.
Which would you rather have: the quickest, most-fun, best-handling silent car or the one that makes the best noise?
Frankly even having grown up loving the noise some engines make, I'd rather have an EV than most modern engines, even multi-cylinder "performance" ones sound either sterile or contrived. I'm certainly not going to miss the sound of the four-pot turbo in our family car. I'm not sure I'll ever go EV for my "fun" car but our white-goods motoring I really don't see a down-side.
Tesla V8 emulation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpX4rNtVP-g
Setting up - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2JPi3vcqtI
Frankly even having grown up loving the noise some engines make, I'd rather have an EV than most modern engines, even multi-cylinder "performance" ones sound either sterile or contrived. I'm certainly not going to miss the sound of the four-pot turbo in our family car. I'm not sure I'll ever go EV for my "fun" car but our white-goods motoring I really don't see a down-side.
Do we miss Sony tape or CD Walkmans? Not really....
Oh, and quickest DOESN'T equal most fun, not in most people's books. In just the same way that best-handling doesn't equal grippiest (often the opposite).
As an e.g. the most enjoyable cars I've driven have tended to be the lighter* ones, as there's less 'cotton wool' between you and the car, and between you and the outside world, maximising all of the sensations/feedback. The ultimate expression of this is a Caterham...or a bike!
Do we miss Sony tape or CD Walkmans? Not really....
Also, there is something feral / animalistic about the best-sounding engines (everything from a DC2 / Caterham 4-pot right up to an AMG V8 or an Aston V12 (Ferrari V12's are slightly different) - that almost predatory sound I would suggest hooks-in to our base instincts.
* Batteries tend to be rather heavy things! At least right now, and certainly if you want a sensible range before the compulsory 1-hour stop.
Frankly even having grown up loving the noise some engines make, I'd rather have an EV than most modern engines, even multi-cylinder "performance" ones sound either sterile or contrived. I'm certainly not going to miss the sound of the four-pot turbo in our family car. I'm not sure I'll ever go EV for my "fun" car but our white-goods motoring I really don't see a down-side.
Do we miss Sony tape or CD Walkmans? Not really....
There are various synthesised sounds in music we may also like, which actually bare no resemblance to anything natural at all. It's just how we are - though some people are more interested in sound than others, of course.
I personally leave the car door open when I start my daily, as I love the sound - because it sounds nice. I also turn off the stereo a lot of the time for the same reason. Sound is incredibly important, and I can't see how electric will ever deliver on that particular aspect.
In an increasingly crowded world a bit of quiet makes sense. I mourn the change but am lucky enough to have experienced it for my whole life. I am still not an EV person but probably due to habit.
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