Photo: Screenshot from Vimeo
As anyone who has ever driven an electric vehicle (or has been driven in it) will confirm, one of their greatest perks is the virtual complete silence in which they glide over the tarmac. With Mercedes-Benz-level of soundproofing, an EV can be as quiet as a concert hall.
Some people, though, might not like that. Used to the sound of an internal combustion engine, the clunking suspension system and the general noise associated with living in a busy city, their ears might start to ring when cruising in a Tesla Model S, for example. Of course, you can always turn the radio on, but that's music, not noise.
You might have heard about the in-cabin sound enhancements that some manufacturers now use to make their sporty cars sound sportier. It's all down to engine downsizing because they would never have had this problem had they stuck to the large-displacement V8 engines. With smaller, four-cylinder units, the growling they produce can be a little underwhelming.
Take the BMW i8, for instance. It's a plug-in hybrid car that uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine. Yes, the car does accelerate to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.4 seconds, but the sound it makes while doing that is less exciting than that made of the air coming out of a balloon. At least on the outside that is, because inside the speakers make sure your ears are treated to a much more meaty roar.
Renault, on the other hand, took things even further. Its R-Link infotainment system offers the option of making your 1.2-liter Clio sound like a Nissan GT-R. Or a Clio V6, for that matter. Using the same principle, it uses the rev-counter to emit a matching sound through the audio system, fooling your brain into believing you made the deal of your life when you bought that city car.
Of course, these things are fun to play with for a while, but nobody in their right minds would ever keep it on at all times. App-developer Mutual Mobile knows that, so it kept everything surrounding its app that gives the Tesla Model S all kinds of engine sounds very light hearted. In fact, it even made a clip about it which doesn't leave any doubt hanging over how seriously they take this matter.
You might have heard about the in-cabin sound enhancements that some manufacturers now use to make their sporty cars sound sportier. It's all down to engine downsizing because they would never have had this problem had they stuck to the large-displacement V8 engines. With smaller, four-cylinder units, the growling they produce can be a little underwhelming.
Take the BMW i8, for instance. It's a plug-in hybrid car that uses a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine. Yes, the car does accelerate to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.4 seconds, but the sound it makes while doing that is less exciting than that made of the air coming out of a balloon. At least on the outside that is, because inside the speakers make sure your ears are treated to a much more meaty roar.
Renault, on the other hand, took things even further. Its R-Link infotainment system offers the option of making your 1.2-liter Clio sound like a Nissan GT-R. Or a Clio V6, for that matter. Using the same principle, it uses the rev-counter to emit a matching sound through the audio system, fooling your brain into believing you made the deal of your life when you bought that city car.
Of course, these things are fun to play with for a while, but nobody in their right minds would ever keep it on at all times. App-developer Mutual Mobile knows that, so it kept everything surrounding its app that gives the Tesla Model S all kinds of engine sounds very light hearted. In fact, it even made a clip about it which doesn't leave any doubt hanging over how seriously they take this matter.
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