Formula E & Artificial Engine Sound Systems

Formula E & Artificial Engine Sound Systems

Welcome to the quiet world of Formula E, a global racing series for electrical cars, which debuted in Beijing, 2014. It has the look of Formula One and the schedule of a billionaire jetsetter.

What is Formula E?

Formula E is the world’s first fully electric international single-seater motorsport series. It reflects the idea of sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint as far as possible and having a positive impact on mankind and the environment.

The Future of Electric Vehicles

Though high-performance car brands have started out on the electrical path, they are well aware that customers & spectators still prefer to keep the engine roar alive. Automakers understand a snarly engine note enhances the behind-the-wheel experience—especially for sporty cars. Thus, businesses are working on fine tuning artificial noise for battery-powered vehicles. A very good example would be Borla Performance Industries manufacturing an artificial V8 muscle car noise for EV’s.

Some automakers are trying to get creative around this, for example, Volkswagen hired Leslie Mandoki, a German Hungarian music producer, to create sound for its’ ID.3 electric vehicle.

Formula E & Artificial Engine Sound Systems

The Formula E car itself isn’t loud but isn’t totally silent either. You can clearly hear them from a grandstand.

The sound from a Formula E car is high pitched and mostly comes from the racing transmission which has straight-cut gears and therefore is rowdier than a regular street transmission with helical gears.

“The sound is futuristic, which you don’t expect. It’s very light and high,” said Virgin Racing driver Jaime Alguersauri, who raced in 46 F1 Grand Prix’s between 2009 and 2011. “At a certain speed, you hear just the wind. You hear the car. I miss the noise of the V10 engine.”

The Formula E vehicle is not capable of producing the same level of noise as a V10 Formula One engine. With a large V10, the vehicle outperforms the competition in terms of sound.

Most car lovers spend the day turning their heads towards the sound of a healthy engine. As Formula E struggles to tug at the heart strings of genuine engine lover’s it is more likely that its’ popularity would rise with a computerized exhaust system.

So the question is: Would it be a considered component in the future or does Formula E leadership believe it would take away the influential effectiveness of going green if it mimics gasoline-powered vehicles.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of an artificial exhaust system in a Formula E race car:

Pros:

Pleasure

•          Anyone who's heard a Ferrari V-8 at full wail knows perfectly well that engines make music. The pleasuring noise of a car when it is in motion catches the attention of engine enthusiasts, therefore increasing the popularity in the machine.

Weight

•        The extra weight increases downforce, which can help, because depending on the size of the car, the air flow around it can generate lift.
•         Depending on where the extra weight is added, the car’s center of gravity (CG) may shift. A lower CG gives better stability and reduces roll.

 

Cons:

The cons are three-fold. Cost, pollution, and weight.

Cost

•        The exhaust itself is priced from $1,000; with the options of one OR two loudspeakers at extra cost. Imagine having to put a system in all Formula E manufactured vehicles, including replacements of damaged systems. Such modifications can lead up to a huge leap in the Formula E budget cap.

Pollution

•         Not only is it expensive but it carries great consequences for noise pollution.

Weight

•         Added weight increases the force required to accelerate. It also increases force required to maintain a certain speed. That means a drop in energy efficiency.
•        Assuming the external shape and size of the car remains the same, the extra weight increases the downforce on the car, which can, at high speeds, make it airborne.
•         More weight means that you need more braking power to achieve the same rates of deceleration. Depending on the amount of weight added and the speeds involved, this can require significant modification to the braking system.

The above points are far from exhaustive. Cars are complex machines and something as small as changing weight will affect SO many things. However, when I try to explain to “car people” how important an electrical system could be for the future, I always get the same, puzzled look. The engine is the heart of your car. It is what keeps it alive and running. Though for an EV, it’s a battery. Growing up with the roaring or the howling of an engine it’s hard for the love to shift to a quiet scream of an electrical system.

The answer to this is unclear without insight. An artificial roar would definitely boost popularity but what would it mean for car performance? There’s always another question, and always another answer to find.