Car manufacturers are making a fuss over the artificial sounds they’re required to produce for their EVs, and Audi is not left out on this. The German auto builder explained to Autoblog just explained how it created the sound for the production E-Tron GT, saying that it was an elaborate process.
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According to Audi, the sound was created from 32 distinct elements using custom software and some ad-hoc discovery. The “foundation” was a 9.8-foot plastic pipe with a fan grafted to one end, producing a low growl that suited the E-Tron GT’s sporty nature.
Audi’s Stephan Gsell pointed out the challenge of finding a sound that was pleasing, but also something you could live with every day. A Star Wars podracer sound might be a blast in short bursts, for example, but the novelty could wear off quickly during your daily commute.
Audi didn’t borrow anything from the Porsche Taycan while working on the unique sound, according to the company, though it did use similar techniques and was working on it at roughly the same time.
And the result of such determination is the unique sound that’s not quite as sci-fi as what you’ll find in the Taycan, but also not just a simple attempt to recreate a gas engine. We’re not quite sure it’s the “emotional” experience Audi claims it is, but that’s not entirely the point.
The sound is at once a legal requirement to alert pedestrians as well as a void-filler for people who might be unsettled by the near silence of an EV cabin. And importantly, it’s optional on the inside, you can choose the intensity or turn it off altogether.
If you’re wealthy enough to be in the market for an E-Tron GT, you won’t have to wait too long to try it. Production is due to start near the end of 2020, albeit in small numbers.
