Most EVs get artificial sound wrong, but these brands nailed it
If you’ve ever talked to an older car enthusiast, you’ve probably heard all the classic complaints about electric vehicles. They are boring, soulless and above all too calm. Most car enthusiasts want to hear their sports car; they crave that visceral experience. But electric vehicles, despite their superior performance and speed over internal combustion, simply don’t provide it. So automakers turned to deception.
In performance electric vehicles, automakers use synthetic, manufactured sounds played through the car’s speakers to mimic the excitement of an internal combustion engine. If car shows, internet forums, Reddit, and social media have taught me anything, a large percentage of car enthusiasts find these noises fake and cheap. However, if you keep an open mind, artificial engine noise in electric vehicles can be beneficial, but only if done correctly.
Electric vehicles must make at least a little noise
All electric vehicles must make noise; it’s the law. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), all electric and hybrid “quiet cars” are legally required to produce external noise that is very different from the artificial interior engine noise made by automobile manufacturers. This mandatory external sound is designed so that pedestrians can hear it for safety reasons, and only at speeds below 30 km/h (19 mph). It is usually a low, buzzing or buzzing sound, allowing pedestrians to hear what would otherwise be a virtually silent vehicle if they cannot see it.
In 2019, NHTSA proposed that automakers could offer customers a choice of external safety sounds, but dropped the proposal in 2022. Many Tesla models came with a “Boombox” feature that allowed owners to customize their exterior driving sounds to whatever they wanted, from music to ice cream truck sounds to even muscle car exhaust sounds.
However, the obligatory noises that Johnny Law says electric vehicles must have are not what we are talking about. Instead, we’re talking about the noises that automakers pump into the car’s cabin to add excitement and drama to acceleration. For this, car manufacturers have carte blancheand they adapted different methods to add theater to an otherwise quiet electric performance. Having experienced just about every method of audible tampering with electric vehicles, I can tell you that some automakers get it completely wrong, and others get it very wrong. There appear to be three main methods: fake engine sounds, sci-fi sounds, and a hybrid method.
Some electric vehicles claim to have motors
Simulating the sound of an engine in an electric vehicle is the most controversial method of adding drama, because there’s nothing that sounds authentic. Hyundai is the biggest offender here, although it is the most admirable with its new Ioniq 5 N. The car itself is brilliant and among the most capable electric vehicles on the planet. But it has a feature that realistically simulates a high-revving engine, playing the sound of it and even simulating a rev limiter and shift points.
From a technical point of view, this is remarkable, because it seems surprisingly close to reality. However, it is undeniable that it is a fake. It would be like playing Madden with VR glasses; sure, it’s fun to feel like an NFL player, but you know you’re not.
Dodge did something similar with its “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust” system, which plays a sort of alien V8 noise through external speakers to make it sound like a muscle car. Sure, it looks like an engine revving, but it’s not an engine of this world. It also doesn’t seem to change height as the “revs” go higher. It only gets stronger. And because of this, its artificiality is almost immediately noticeable, which ruins the mirage.
What about science fiction noises?
If an electric vehicle is going to play a fake acceleration sound through the speakers, why not get weird with it? Porsche was the first to get wacky with electric vehicle noises, using sci-fi-inspired sounds to accompany the futuristic theme of its Taycan electric sedan. However, BMW is the brand that has been most successful. The Bavarians turned to one of the most beloved musicians and composers of our time, Hans Zimmer, to create a “soundtrack of electromobility.”
What BMW and Zimmer have come up with is a complete sci-fi sound package that actually matches the way the car handles. Acceleration, deceleration, takeoff acceleration, you name it. It feels like the car is powered by something from another planet. And because it fits so well with what you’re doing, it feels more authentic than most EV knockoffs, even if it seems as alien as something from Interstellar. It’s fun and silly, and the kids in the back seat will love it. And if it gets old after a while, you can turn it off.
Even this fantasy gets old after a while, because it’s still very wrong. I’m not criticizing BMW’s decision, as I appreciate the brand’s deliberate pleasure in making such silly noises. But ultimately it is still a pure falsification, which tends to spoil the experience.
Hyundai also adds some interesting options. Not only can it replicate a gasoline engine, but it also has a sci-fi type option, and even an option simulating a fighter jet. Why not, I guess.
The right way to do this is a combination of things
Unsurprisingly, Italians seem to have found emotion in electric cars. Maserati cracked the code first, with its new electric GranTurismo Folgore. The two-door, all-wheel-drive stunner makes 818 horsepower from its trio of electric motors (two on the rear axle, one in the front), and Maserati wants you to feel it.
Instead of just playing a fake engine noise through the speakers, Maserati actually created a unique noise. It’s a combination of an old-school Maserati V8 (ironic, since Maser no longer offers a V8) and the real whir of the electric motors themselves. And because the sound has been painstakingly recorded and synthesized, it matches the revs of the motors themselves and gives you real feedback on what they’re doing.
I’ve driven the Folgore on the track and also driven with a Ferrari GT3 driver behind the wheel, and I promise you the soundtrack is killer. It really does sound like you’re hearing electric motors at work. And while the sound itself isn’t entirely familiar, it sounds cool. And when the aforementioned, impeccably dressed driver was performing smoky drifts at near triple-digit speeds, the unique noise felt right at home.
I’ve driven many electric vehicles, from almost every brand, and the GranTurismo Folgore is the one that sounds the best, although not a close second. I’m convinced that if classic car enthusiasts who have doubts about electric vehicles spent time sitting in the Maserati, they would be singing a different tune.
Maserati is not alone
But it’s not just about Maserati. Ferrari seems to be taking the same idea to another level. In the next Ferrari Elettrica, a monster with four doors and four 1,000 horsepower engines, will not simulate anything. Instead, sensors mounted near the motors will pick up their vibrations and amplify them through the speakers. What you will hear inside the car is therefore not an illusion. Instead, Ferrari simply connects the speakers to engine sounds.
According to Ferrari, the system is more like an electric guitar than anything else, since it doesn’t use a microphone to pick up sound. Instead, it uses an accelerometer mounted inside the inverter housing to sense vibrations from the motors. If you’re wondering what the highway noise will be like, since the electric motors maintain high revs at highway speeds due to the lack of higher gears, don’t worry.
Ferrari will only play sound into the cabin when your right foot demands a large amount of power. So, just like an internal combustion engine, you’ll hear it when you put your foot down, but it will remain quiet when cruising.
What’s wrong with electric vehicles just being quiet?
There’s nothing wrong with electric vehicles being quiet. A quiet but deadly performance certainly has its appeal. But it’s getting old. The Tesla Model 3 Performance, for example, is incredibly fast in a straight line. But there is less and less emotional feedback from repeatedly pressing the brake pedal because of its silence. The same cannot be said for a Corvette.
Silence in electric vehicles has its place, especially in luxury cars, where it is welcome. However, in performance cars there is certainly a way to make them more exciting and, perhaps to the surprise of old-school car enthusiasts, that lies in authenticity. Give us the sound of the electric motors themselves, even if it’s slightly enhanced. And if anyone with a noisy sports car claims that such an upgrade ruins the experience, just ask them what exhaust system their car uses.
