More and more manufacturers are offering their electric cars sounds inspired by thermal models. This is particularly the case with Dodge, which has just reworked the one on its future Charger to make it a bit more authentic.
The electric car has many advantages, it is an undeniable fact. In addition to driving comfort due to absence of vibrations and instant torque, silence is also one of the advantages of this engine. The latter could then contribute to making driving more enjoyable, while a recent study by DS Automobiles stated that driving electric was less stressful than on board a thermal vehicle.
a new trend
While some might think that this silence would be dangerous, a study by ipsos in September 2022 points out that it would have been easy for 68% of electric car owners circulate without surprising pedestrians. Especially since since 2021, everyone must emit a sound to warn them when they are driving at low speed, below 19 km/h.
Since then, manufacturers have competed in imagination to offer the most original sounds. We thought in particular of Tesla, which even allowed you to customize the latter with chicken, goat and even wind noises via Boombox mode. The electric Fiat 500 emits an excerpt from “Amarcord“, excerpt from the Fellini film of the same name.
But for some time now, another trend is gradually emerging. In fact, some manufacturers, and in particular those that offer sports models, decide to offer a sound inspired by thermal cars. This is precisely the case of Dodge, which last August lifted the veil on its Charger Daytona SRT “Banshee” concept, announcing the future of the American muscle car.
And this one particularly attracted the public for the sound that came out of its “exhaust”. The latter then imitates that of a thermal car, digitized and modernized thanks to the system Exhaust with Fratzonic chamber. So, can reach up to 126 dBbut we can’t really say that it pleased the purists, many of whom criticized the choice of the American manufacturer.
numeral notice that the car then makes more noise than… the Concorde taking off!
A slight update
If Dodge later claimed that the disappointing sound was noticeably linked to the sound quality of the cameras, seems to have made some small changes anyway. Therefore, it was during the Chicago fair, which closed its doors a few days ago, when Dodge presented a new version of its prototype.
Described by the brand as ” visceral dark matter“, the reworked sound still puts out 126 dB, but seems to be a little more serious than before. However, the conditions the car was exposed to were not entirely identical, and may have influenced the sound emitted. You will then have to wait again until production version release in 2024 being able to hear this noise in real conditions, and thus be able to get a real idea.
According to a journalist present at the scene, relayed by the site autoblogthe noise was so loud that it felt ” to the chest“. Dodge isn’t the only manufacturer offering a thermal car sound in an electric model. This is also the case with Abarth, which offers a similar system on its electric 500. The coach then asked his community to help him create the ideal sound.
According to Carscoops, Ferrari for its part patented a ” playback device for producing a sound that can be associated with an electric motor“. To do this, the manufacturer would consider amplifying the noise of the latter to make it louder. We will still have to wait before testing this technology, while the brand should not launch an electric car before 2025.
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