For more than a century, internal combustion engines have powered vehicles with a complex combination of moving parts and tiny explosions. That combustion process inevitably makes noise, and that noise has come to define the background soundscape of our streets, cities, and everyday lives. But as hybrids and EVs become increasingly mainstream — and their near-silent electric motors fill the streets — it’s clear that silent vehicles don’t fit into the ecosystem built around cars.
After efforts led by organizations of the blind and visually impaired, legislation was finally enacted began to be necessary Electric vehicles to emit an artificial engine sound from hidden external speakers. These hidden speaker systems, called “acoustic vehicle alerting systems” – or AVAS – had to meet specific sonic criteria. But they were a blank slate for sound designers to decide what future cars should look like.
