I, Robot Or Spaceship? The Sound Of The E-tron
Audi decides how cars will sound driving down electric avenue...
It sounds odd, but because electric cars are near-silent at speeds of up to 15mph, so Audi's acousticians (there's a job that'd be a talking point at cocktail parties) are deciding just what noise its electric cars should make to alert pedestrians and other road users to their presence.
This is where Will Smith comes in, because his 2004 film I, Robot features the Audi RSQ concept car, and the noise that car makes in the film, we're told, may give an indication of how electric Audi models of the future may sound.
"The obvious approach would be to work on the basis of the familiar sound of a combustion engine," says Christian Schueller, Head of Brand Development/Corporate Identity (whatever that means) at Audi. "On the other hand, we want to underscore that an electric or hybrid Audi is an innovative product. We also want to make our Vorsprung durch Technik audible in the era of electric mobility."
Audi's sound chaps and chapesses are also said to be drawing inspiration from the sound of space travel from science fiction films. We suppose the only question is whether you want yout e-tron to sound Like the Enterprise or the Millennium Falcon...
EDIT: A lot like this- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5oml9uHbkw
Skip on to 2:56 for a good example!
I'd say the Tron Lightcycle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AwvuirSEAA&fea...
WHY?
Manufacturers have been trying to make their cars quieter for years.
Even my old A8 could not be heard over the normal hustle and bustle at 15mph.
A modern top of the range car "Wafts" along.
I though PH has told us Lotus have patented the electronic noise box already?
So I've just put in a patent application for a device that holds different length/width/thickness/materials of "Lolly Stick" against the wheel, so that the spokes of the alloy wheel makes that noise kids loves so much! All adjustable from the cabin of course!
The original ZOOM Lolly stick is just Chavtastic!
Seriously, they need a "scaleable" sound (is that a word?) like an engine sound that changes as RPM/Speed increase, be awfully tiresome to hear from inside if its a constant beep or something like a reversing alarm!
For what its worth this might be something to add to IC engined luxury cars, was nearly flattened by a Lexus that backed silently from its garage one morning at I cycled past, however on the same trip I heard and avoided several rattling diesels and a couple of scratchy 4pot petrol engined cars.
That's just on the inside mind you. As for the outside, it needs noise of some kind for pedestrians. The old electric trolley buses in Glasgow used to knock people down all the time years ago.
I vote for the sound the pod racers made in the Star wars movie Phantom Menace.
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