General Motors has given a behind-the-scenes look at how engineers, designers, musicians, and those with sound quality expertise develop the sounds for the OEM’s electric vehicles from the view of a sound designer.

The class of vehicle — whether built for comfort, powerful torque, speed, or performance — is the basis for how sounds for each vehicle are created.

For example, the Cadillac LYRIQ sounds futuristic with low frequency, drawn-out tones, which GM Lead Sound Designer and Creative Sound Director Jay Kapadia calls a “luxurious aura.” In contrast, the “rugged demeanor” of the GMC Hummer EV pickup truck and SUV sound similar to the steady building of propulsion heard from internal combustion engines (ICE) that boast o-60 in 3.5 seconds, just as these particular EVs do.

“Vehicle sound engineering is not just about creating an automobile’s voice — it’s about curating an experience,” Kapadia wrote. “This begins with the Sound Journey Map, an overarching guide that includes every sound input a driver or passenger might encounter. From the welcoming chime when you approach your vehicle to the reassuring clicks and notifications within the cabin, each sound plays a part in crafting the vehicle’s character.”

The process starts with conceptualization in which a vehicle’s sound identity is imagined considering the brand’s values, aesthetics, and desired emotional response from users.

“With advancements in EV technology, the need for these diverse sounds has magnified, especially considering the near silence of EV operation. This poses a challenge for pedestrian safety, leading to the development of Acoustic Vehicle Alert Systems (AVAS) that produce sounds proportional to the vehicle’s speed to help alert pedestrians.”

As vehicles become more advanced, Kapadia wrote, the role of sound will continue to expand “bringing new challenges and opportunities for engineers and designers.”

“In a world where vehicles start to blend together in features and functions, sound offers a new dimension of differentiation,” he wrote.

Kapadia became GM’s first lead sound design engineer in 2017. GM first equipped pedestrian alerting sounds on Chevrolet Volt EVs in 2012.

According to TechInformed, an enterprise technology publication, concerns about pedestrian safety for both sighted and sight impaired around nearly silent electric and hybrid vehicles were first raised in the late 2000s and early 2010s but only recently came to fruition.

“[G]overnments and regulators began drawing up guidelines for what would become known as Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS),” the article says. “But it was not until recently that legislation and regulations came into full effect; in the US, all hybrids and electric vehicles traveling at less than 18.6mph (30km/h) had to include alert sounds by September 2020.”

In 2017, a U.S. Department of Transportation report found that hybrid and electric (HE) vehicles posed a 20% higher risk to pedestrians than non-hybrids; however, “the HEs have a tiny impact on the overall number of pedestrian crashes by both HE and ICE vehicles.”

HE vehicles are 50% more likely to hit pedestrians than ICE vehicles in low-speed maneuvers, according to the report.

“Some manufacturers pre-empted the guidelines and legislation: Toyota launched a version of its Prius with a sound synthesiser in 2010; later the same year, General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Volt featuring the Pedestrian-Friendly Alert System; and the following year, Fisker Automotive produced a sound generator for its then-new Karma luxury hybrid. Hyundai developed its own alert device, the Virtual Engine Sound System (VESS), which was first featured on the Sonata Hybrid released in 2011,” TechInformed’s article says.

In other EV news, GM announced earlier this week that its __ branch, GM Ventures, has invested $10 million in Forge Nano, a materials science company specializing in atomic layer deposition. The companies have partnered to collaborate on potential atomic layer deposition applications for GM batteries, according to a news release.

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