Range Rover

Audi has announced it is working on a sound design paradigm for its upcoming slate of electric vehicles.

When cruising at 15.53 miles per hour or slower, an electric car runs virtually silent. Once over that speed, road noise and air moving over the car begin to become prevalent and the car can be "heard" as it travels down the road. That silent running is an intriguing part of the electric car world, but it's problematic, mostly because those speeds are generally reserved for traffic-clogged cities, parking lots and other areas where pedestrian foot traffic meets automotive. If you are hard of hearing, you might not know that an electric car is heading your way as you step out into the street. Audi is working to prevent this, by incorporating an exterior sound system into its e-tron.

A team of acousticians is hard at work behind Ingolstadt's closed doors. Their goal is to develop a sound that reflects the brand's core values. But what does Audi sound like?

Audi doesn't want to simply mimic the sound of an internal combustion engine. The automaker is developing a sound design that's in concert conceptually with a electric vehicle.

"The sounds used for space ships in films are reminiscent of car sounds, yet are also very different, making this a rather interesting approach," says Dr. Ralf Kunkel, Head of Acoustics at AUDI AG. "But the sound will be new and unusual. The Audi RSQ from the Hollywood film I, Robot gives an indication of how an Audi might sound in the future."

Source: Audi




Press Release

The sound of silence: How Audi is working on the acoustics of future electric cars


Electric cars are virtually silent at speeds up to 25 km/h (15.53 mph)

Acousticians working intensely on future sound design

Sound should reflect brand's core values

Ingolstadt, November 2, 2010 - The sonorous sound of a six-cylinder engine; the silky murmur of a V8: the sounds of combustion engines are a constant of road traffic that everyone can associate with a car. With electric cars all that is passé because they are virtually silent up to a speed of 25 km/h (15.53 mph). The risk to others is obvious. There is only one logical conclusion for the sound technicians at Audi: The electric car of the future needs its own sound - but which one?

"We speak of quiet cars when an electric car is driven at a speed between 0 - 25 km/h (15.53 mph)," explains Dr. Ralf Kunkel, Head of Acoustics at AUDI AG. Up to this speed electric cars are virtually silent as they glide through the streets. Noise from the rolling of the tires and from the slipstream comes to the forefront above this speed, at which point an electric car is no longer significantly more quiet than a conventional vehicle.

The fact that this new form of transportation is particularly quiet is, of course, another factor of its success. After all, environment-friendly automobiles should not only reduce emissions, but also noise pollution. However, speed without the typical road noises that serve as a signal harbors risks: The sense of hearing allows participants in traffic to monitor all 360 degrees of their surroundings, whereas the eyes only cover a limited angle. People with poorer vision or who are distracted can easily overlook a car.

Organizations for the blind worldwide therefore advocate giving quiet cars a unique sound; specifications or laws to this effect are already in place in the U.S.A. and Japan.

The sound technicians at Audi have long since taken up the task of protecting pedestrians in the electric mobility era. "One way do this is by generating artificial noise in electric cars," says Kunkel. The acousticians are currently hard at work on the sound design of the Audi e-tron. It is not just a matter of safety, but also a question of how the Audi of the future should sound.

"The obvious approach would be to work on the basis of the familiar sound of a combustion engine," says Christian Schüller, Head of Brand Development/Corporate Identity. "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."

The rustling of leaves, the twittering of birds or shrill tones such as those used on snow cats are therefore not viable options. However: "The sounds used for space ships in films are reminiscent of car sounds, yet are also very different, making this a rather interesting approach," says Kunkel. An Audi will not sound like an airplane with jet engines or a space ship from a science fiction film any time soon, though. "But the sound will be new and unusual. The Audi RSQ from the Hollywood film I, Robot gives an indication of how an Audi might sound in the future."

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The Audi Group sold around 950,000 cars of the Audi brand in 2009. The Company posted revenue of €29.8 billion and an operating profit of €1.6 billion. Audi produces vehicles in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm (Germany), Gyor (Hungary), Changchun (China) and Brussels (Belgium). Aurangabad in India saw the start of CKD production of the Audi A6 at the end of 2007, of the Audi A4 in early October 2008 and of the Audi Q5 in July 2010. Production of the new Audi A1 has been running at the Brussels plant since May 2010. The Company is active in more than 100 markets worldwide. AUDI AG's wholly owned subsidiaries include AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft., Automobili Lamborghini Holding S.p.A. in Sant'Agata Bolognese (Italy) and quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm. Audi currently employs around 58,000 people worldwide, including 45,500 in Germany. Between 2010 and 2012 the Audi Group is planning to invest around €5.5 billion, mainly in new products, in order to sustain the Company's technologic al lead embodied in its "Vorsprung durch Technik" slogan. By 2015, Audi plans to increase the number of models in its portfolio to 42.

Audi has long been fulfilling its social responsibility on many levels - with the aim of making the future worth living for generations to come. The basis for Audi's lasting success is therefore formed by environmental protection, the conservation of resources, international competitiveness and a forward-looking human resources policy. One example of AUDI AG's commitment to environmental issues is the newly established Audi Environmental Foundation.