Photo: Gwi design via Behance
Early this year, Maserati started talking about its EV plans, and the title it used for the announcement was "The Music Is Changing." Indeed, one of the most important traits of the brand's models was their sound signature, and it all had to do with their engines.
OK, their exhausts might have played some part too, but the important thing here is that EVs don't have either. Instead, they have those eerily quiet motors that make the tire sound seem like the loudest, most obnoxious noise in the world - the same sound you wouldn't even notice if there was a V8 (or even V6, when talking about Maserati) around.
The path for the Italian brand is clear, and it involves electrification. Right now, the only such model is the hybrid Ghibli, but Maserati has already started testing its own battery-powered electric vehicles, so it's not a question of whether it's going down that road, but when the inevitable will happen.
According to the carmaker, the first two models to offer fully electric powertrains will be the GranTurismo and GranCabrio. The plan was to release them in one form or another in 2021 (or MMXXI, which is Maserati's fancy way of reminding everyone of its Roman roots), yet given everything that's happened lately, we could be looking at some sort of delays.
Either way, sooner or later, the music will change. With that in mind, a Seoul-based South Korean designer came up with something a little bit different from what we've seen so far from other EV manufacturers. Instead of using speakers that broadcast a pre-recorded sound to warn pedestrians of the EV's approach - and also define the vehicle's acoustic signature - he thought about creating a sound the old-fashioned way.
Since the air is going to move through and around the vehicle, why not use that to create a sound? It's like having a built-in wind instrument that doesn't require anyone blowing into it. Instead, all that's need is for the car to move and let the wind and currents do the rest.
The beautiful part about this is that you can build the resonator in such a way that the sound will change depending on the speed, much like the sound of an engine would have changed tune depending on how high it was in the rev range. Sure, EV makers already do it using digital sounds, but this would be a much more organic way to achieve it.
As it happens, Gwi design also managed to put his original idea into a very beautiful looking car. His rendering is not just pleasant to look at, but also manages to capture the identity of the Maserati convincingly. The only reserve we have is that maybe it looks a little bit too complicated - too many frills - for a GranTurismo. However, if this musical instrument gizmo managed to put some soul back into the otherwise muted EV world, we would welcome it arms wide open.
The path for the Italian brand is clear, and it involves electrification. Right now, the only such model is the hybrid Ghibli, but Maserati has already started testing its own battery-powered electric vehicles, so it's not a question of whether it's going down that road, but when the inevitable will happen.
According to the carmaker, the first two models to offer fully electric powertrains will be the GranTurismo and GranCabrio. The plan was to release them in one form or another in 2021 (or MMXXI, which is Maserati's fancy way of reminding everyone of its Roman roots), yet given everything that's happened lately, we could be looking at some sort of delays.
Either way, sooner or later, the music will change. With that in mind, a Seoul-based South Korean designer came up with something a little bit different from what we've seen so far from other EV manufacturers. Instead of using speakers that broadcast a pre-recorded sound to warn pedestrians of the EV's approach - and also define the vehicle's acoustic signature - he thought about creating a sound the old-fashioned way.
Since the air is going to move through and around the vehicle, why not use that to create a sound? It's like having a built-in wind instrument that doesn't require anyone blowing into it. Instead, all that's need is for the car to move and let the wind and currents do the rest.
The beautiful part about this is that you can build the resonator in such a way that the sound will change depending on the speed, much like the sound of an engine would have changed tune depending on how high it was in the rev range. Sure, EV makers already do it using digital sounds, but this would be a much more organic way to achieve it.
As it happens, Gwi design also managed to put his original idea into a very beautiful looking car. His rendering is not just pleasant to look at, but also manages to capture the identity of the Maserati convincingly. The only reserve we have is that maybe it looks a little bit too complicated - too many frills - for a GranTurismo. However, if this musical instrument gizmo managed to put some soul back into the otherwise muted EV world, we would welcome it arms wide open.
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