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Sound has become a complex and multi-layered component of vehicle design. While good exhaust tone has always been both a science and an art, today’s complex powertrains demand that many engineers be tasked with eliminating unwanted noise and increasing – or even creating – pleasant tones.
That task becomes even more daunting for those working on an all-electric car, which is inherently quiet. In fact, without help, an electric car would probably not produce any pleasant sounds, instead falling victim to intrusives, such as wind or tire noise. This is not so much of a problem when idle, but on the go, this can be challenging.
Audi engineers wanted to create a sound for the E-Tron GT that felt organic and futuristic. The hope was that the final product would fit the E-Tron GT’s mission of being a high-performance electric ambassador for the Audi brand without going too far, in Audi’s words.
“In principle, the sound of a car has a lot in common with music,” said Rudolf Halbmeir of Audi. “To find the basis for the sound of the E-Tron GT, I tried all kinds of instruments, from the violin to the electric guitar to the didgeridoo, a wind instrument from Australia. But none of them were really suitable. Then I came across a piece of plastic pipe lying in the garden, it was 3 meters (9.8 feet) long and had a cross section of 80 millimeters (3.1 inches). I placed a fan on one end and listened to the sound coming out of the other extreme. It was a very specific and deep growl, and I knew immediately that I had discovered the basis of the sound. “
That was just the beginning. The final tone comprises 32 individual sound elements that come together to form a distinct, vaguely sci-fi tone, suited to a sports EV. The Audi team worked separately (albeit at the same time, the engineers said) from the Porsche Taycan engineers, and although both teams used similar processes, the end results have nothing in common.
To learn more about what went into developing the Audi E-Tron GT’s reveal sound, check out the full video above, featuring in-depth commentary from Audi’s Stephan Gsell.
