source for electric vehicle sounds?

December 12, 2023 1:56 PM

Many modern electric vehicles seem to emit otherworldly trilling / drone-y sounds when operating. I do not know the industry term of art for these sounds. I'm wondering: a) is there a term for this kind of audio put out by a car? b) are they are simply sound files that get played by the car's OS? c) is there a collection or even one of them accessible somewhere to download and putter with, for free or for a fee?

I am not looking for close recordings of, e.g. their windows going up and down or of other incidental car noises.

posted by german_bight to Technology (9 answers total)

Here’s a VST released by Kia that was used to make their in-car sounds!
posted by music for skeletons at 2:02 PM on December 12, 2023 [5 favorites]

BMW made a big deal about working with Hans Zimmer on this - might be something you're interested in.
posted by kickingtheground at 2:36 PM on December 12, 2023

Electric vehicle warning sounds?
posted by andythebean at 2:37 PM on December 12, 2023

This recent episode of the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz explores the sound design of modern cars, including electric vehicle warning sounds.
posted by moonmilk at 2:43 PM on December 12, 2023 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: This is all very helpful, thank you!
posted by german_bight at 3:19 PM on December 12, 2023

It's called the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) and it's legally mandated to sound until the vehicle reaches 20km/h (it might be a higher speed in the US). This requirement, which came in at the end of the last decade, meant that manufacturers now work hard to create a specific sound signature that reflects the existing qualities of their brand; it's a whole creative science involving acousticians, musicians, etc.
posted by srednivashtar at 4:05 PM on December 12, 2023 [7 favorites]

Sound design, it's a whole thing! I just got a Volvo C40 EV and the sounds are so weird. Volvo has an explanation in the manual

Low-speed exterior noise

The electric motors in battery electric vehicles are extremely quiet and may be difficult to hear by children, pedestrians, cyclists, and animals. That’s why Volvo Recharge models come with Audible Vehicle Alert System (“AVAS”). One of the sounds created mimics the sound that tires make when rolling over a road surface. The sound is immediately recognizable as that of a vehicle approaching, thereby alerting pedestrians and cyclists, yet it blends in perfectly to the surroundings and doesn’t create unnecessary noise pollution.

I do appreciate that it's unobtrusive. But I'd call it "electric angel choir", not "rolling tires".

Here's a press release about the Volvo Truck sounds. I think they're similar to what my car is doing.
posted by Nelson at 6:40 AM on December 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

→ Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS)

And here was me thinking that Tesla really really liked making sad flying saucer noises
posted by scruss at 1:34 PM on December 13, 2023

Vaguely related paragraph, an excerpt I clipped from one of those short blurbs in the front of a New Yorker a couple years ago:

...which was released in December, 2020, as part of a software update, allows Tesla drivers, according to its promotional literature, to "delight pedestrians with a variety of sounds from your vehicle's external speaker," including goat bleats, ice-cream-truck music, applause, and flatulence. In early 2022 the NHTSA found the Boombox feature noncompliant with its rules. Musk called the regulators the "fun police" but Tesla nevertheless issued a firmware update that prohibits the use of Boombox when driving, although hackers will probably find a way around it. Teslas can still fart when parked.

Note that many years ago I installed an outdoor speaker under my VW beetle's front fender, on the opposite side from the horn, in order to delight others by blasting my peculiar tastes in music -‌- that is, until I got a fix-it ticket for Illegal Outside Amplification of Music, an apparent violation of the California Vehicle Code. In my case the offending sound was The Drinking Song from Verdi's "La Traviata".
posted by Rash at 10:25 PM on December 19, 2023