One thing I will miss in this EV future is the sound of a combustion engine. There is nothing like the rumble of a V8 or the rumble of a turbo or the scream of a V10.
Unfortunately, EVs do not really make much noise while driving. The Department of Transport set out rules in 2018 which requires electric cars (and hybrids) to make low-speed noises to warn pedestrians of their approach. It originated as traffic incident reports due to pedestrians do not hear the approaching vehicles. So car manufacturers have developed sounds for them. Lotus hopes she work together with music producer Patrick Patrikios will produce a whole range of sounds for its upcoming electric hypercar, the Evija.
Artificial engine sound is not something new. It has been a thing in vehicles like the Lexus LFA, VW GTI, Ford Focus ST and various BMWs for years. (BMW calls it Active Sound.) Engine sound is introduced through the vehicle’s speakers to enhance the hearing environment. Sometimes it works. With EVs, however, the artificial sound can be taken to a whole other level, as there is no engine to back up the artificial sound. All the sounds are 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. It raced in the 1967 F1 season, making this glorious sound:
The 49 was chosen because of its importance to the Lotus brand. As Patrikios explained:
We wanted to create a sound image for the Evija that was Lotus recognizable and distinctive. I sat down with the development team at Hethel and discussed what it should be. We wanted something intrinsically connected to Lotus so we could set up a sound blueprint for the future electric cars.
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While working to perfect the sound for the Evija’s ‘engine’, Patrikios and Lotus noticed that the noise from the 49 engine decreased, similar to the electric sound that the Evija car makes. So when accelerating, the Evija uses the sound of a 49 running from zero to 186 km / h. Patrikios not only made the engine noise for the Evija. He also created every tone that will make the car, from seat belt indicators to doorbells. With the future of Lotus being electric, and with its impressive racing and road car history, artificial sounds may not be that bad after all.