If you’ve ever experienced the eerie silence of an electric car driving by, you know that electric cars don’t make a lot of noise — or at least, they don’t have to. They don’t have gas engines or transmissions that produce a classic car sound. However, there is an entire industry dedicated to ensuring that electric cars look right Somethingprimarily for safety reasons. After all, pedestrians depend on their ability to hear an oncoming car – and here’s why studies It indicates that electric and hybrid vehicles are twice as likely to hit pedestrians than gas vehicles. This is also why the United States and other countries do this Assignment All electric vehicles have an Acoustic Vehicle Alert System (AVAS).
As you can imagine, some automakers have viewed such mandates as an opportunity to get creative with the sounds their electric cars make. the The Porsche Taycan has an AVAS sound that attracts attention This means evoking a distinct, futuristic sensibility, instead The Fisker Karma sounds like an epic heavy metal chord. Other brands like Nissan leaf and Chevrolet Boltthey chose high-pitched UFO-like sound options. And I understand why: driving a car that looks futuristic or unique can feel great. Additionally, it allows automakers to make their electric vehicles sound like their cars, as memorable as an advertising jingle. But this thinking needs to evolve.
Even as Political headwinds are changing And automakers slow Their EV ambitions in the refrigeration market, it is clear that electric cars We are the future. But I am increasingly convinced that it should not voice Like “the future.” Instead, automakers need to strike a balance — not just to serve the tastes of car owners but for a host of health and environmental reasons. As the world becomes increasingly filled with technology-driven products and experiences — each with its own attention-grabbing synthetic sounds — it’s important that car sounds at least sound rooted in the real world and, frankly, a little more “normal” than some might think. He loves.
What the future looks like matters
It may be strange to hear this from a vocal brand designer, but I’m very skeptical (or even critical) of companies that see AVAS sounds as a major branding opportunity – as a way to create a very distinctive brand voice that stands out in the world. Not only does this approach fail to prioritize human-centered functional needs (of visually impaired or blind pedestrians, in particular), but drivers don’t even want to. When we were recently Drivers who were surveyed As part of a detailed audio branding study, they said they would prefer their electric cars to use off-toned AVAS sounds rather than something more futuristic and tonally distinct.
Then there are the wider issues affected by AVAS sounds, where noise pollution is a costly problem, as transport sounds (road traffic in particular) cause 80% of noise pollution is in cities. Reports link noise pollution to everything from Poor cardiovascular health to Various diseases Such as slurred speech, hearing loss, sleep disturbance, and loss of productivity. Wildlife health and mating cycles are also disrupted, leading to… Low biodiversity. with Studies suggest Since by 2050 the majority of cars will be electric, it is easy to see why it might be time to start taking a hard look at reducing some of the AVAS methods.
I appreciate that we live in a culture that resists anything that might be considered a restriction of freedoms. Regulations are also seen as a barrier to innovation. And since it’s an election year, electric vehicles are a hot thing Political issuemaking it difficult to discuss without turning into contentious climate and environmental debates occurring across industries.
For better or worse, the sounds cars make also have strong cultural and emotional associations with power and strength—particularly with heavyweights, trucks, and performance vehicles. Car brands are still grappling with how to honor these traditional characteristics in healthy ways while focusing on the future of electric vehicles. The last thing they want is a limited set of tools to stimulate communication with drivers.
But even with some sonic limitations, there is still plenty of room for creativity and differentiation. This doesn’t mean that AVAS sounds necessarily need to be completely uniform – being able to tell vehicles apart from each other based on distinct AVAS sounds could help pedestrians anyway. Too much symmetry can create a ripple of noise if there are many vehicles on the road together, making it difficult for pedestrians (especially blind people) to instinctively understand which cars are closer or farther away, and whether something poses an immediate or immediate threat. less. What needs more attention or higher alert. Instead, automakers must embrace the creative challenge of over-indexing on function and integration within the environmental soundscape while still delivering something sonically enjoyable.
Setting the audio standard for the automotive industry
The responsibility falls on both designers and car manufacturers to set better acoustic standards. The influence and sophistication certainly comes from the top, but it’s also a dialogue between the brands and the designers they collaborate with. This means helping automakers make decisions that will boost business, attract consumers, communicate brand ideals, and support the functional product experience without damaging the everyday experience in our cities and towns.
There is great value in arriving at a common set of design principles, regardless of whether they become mandatory regulations or not. For example, if all car manufacturers agreed to design their AVAS sounds within a limited set of keys that all worked together harmoniously – this could be a less restrictive way to address the problem and allow both tonal and non-tonal sounds to work harmoniously with each other more effectively. More effective. It will also still allow for some creative design choices and branding, while reducing the likelihood of causing anxiety to pedestrians or aggravating noise pollution.
However, the interior sounds of the car, not the exterior, are the place for this truly Make something special that can stand out. Considering how the interior has become a multi-sensory experience – with the dashboard as an LED display and interior lighting that can change color and intensity to suit different driving modes – it offers endless audio branding opportunities for brands and designers looking to harness the power of sound. By thinking about the entire audio experience of an electric vehicle holistically, the designers placed less burden on AVAS to carry the weight of the “can-have” brand experience.
However, the first step is to convince automakers to take a more “normal” approach – building a new ecosystem of electric vehicle sounds that people can rely on for their health and safety. When electric cars replace gas-powered cars, they are sure to change the way we live our daily lives — in obvious and unexpected ways. For the benefit of drivers, pedestrians and automakers, sound cannot be treated as an afterthought. Let’s seize this opportunity and do things right.
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