Hybrids to get supercar sounds

Silent-running electric cars and hybrid vehicles are about to be wired for sound!

The near-inaudible whirring made by battery-powered models is a turn-off for many potential buyers. But Lotus and hi-fi expert Harman Kardon’s new technology means you’ll soon be able to select the engine noise of your choice – from a throaty V8 to a spaceship-like swoosh!

The Electronic Sound Synthesis (ESS) gadget works by processing road speed info from a car’s ECU and turning it into an engine note that’s pumped through speakers in the cabin and hidden in the wheelarches.

As the system works ‘live’, by reacting to driver inputs rather than using recordings, it can be modified to produce a number of sounds. And Auto Express has found out that the first cars to get the technology will appear in the UK very soon – with a Star Trek-like soundtrack!

Lotus engineer Andy Mackay told us: “ESS has mainly been developed to improve safety, especially for groups such as the blind, who cannot see cars approaching.

“Yet there are also opportunities to improve the feel of driving an electric model. Giving it a traditional exhaust sound is simple and effective, but we can do a lot more.”

The technology could be used on petrol motors, too. As makers look to lighten vehicles by using engines with fewer cylinders, ESS could make a four-pot sound like a V6.