One thing I’ll miss in this EV future is the sound of an internal combustion engine. Nothing beats the roar of a V8 or the whirring of a turbo or the screaming of a V10.
Unfortunately, electric vehicles don’t really make much noise while driving. The Department of Transportation established rules in 2018 require electric cars (and hybrids) to make sounds at low speeds to warn pedestrians of their approach. This came about as traffic incident reports caused by pedestrians do not hear the approaching vehiclesThat’s why car manufacturers have developed sounds for them. Lotus hopes to be work with music producer Patrick Patrikios will produce a slew of sounds for its upcoming electric hypercar, the Evija.
Artificial engine noise is nothing new. It has been a thing for years in vehicles such as the Lexus LFA, VW GTI, Ford Focus ST and various BMWs. (BMW calls it Active Sound.) Engine sound is channeled in through the car’s speakers to “enhance” the auditory environment. Sometimes it works. However, with EVs, that artificial sound can be taken to a whole different level, as there is no motor to support the artificial sound. All sound is artificial.
The starting point for Patrikios’ work was the legendary Lotus 49. If you are not familiar with the 49, it was a Cosworth powered F1 car designed by Lotus founder Colin Chapman. He raced in the 1967 F1 season, all the while making this glorious noise:
The 49 was chosen because of its importance to the Lotus brand. As Patrikios explained:
We wanted to create a soundscape for the Evija that was recognizable and distinctively Lotus. I was on Hethel’s development team and discussed what that should be. We wanted something intrinsically connected to Lotus so that we could draft an audio blueprint for its future electric cars.
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While working to perfect the sound for the Evija’s “engine,” Patrikios and Lotus noted that the sound of the 49’s engine slowed down was comparable to the electrical sound the Evija’s engine makes. So when accelerating, the Evija uses the sound of a 49 running from zero to 300 km / h. Patrikios not only made the engine sound for the Evija. He’s also created every tone the car will make, from seat belt indicators to doorbell sounds. With Lotus’s future as electric, and with its impressive racing and road car history to draw from, artificial sounds might not be that bad after all.