Abarth has revealed it spent more than 6000 hours developing a unique sound for its new 500e in an attempt to differentiate itself from silence.
The noise itself was created to give the driver a sense of emotion when behind the wheel but like other EVs, it doesn’t come from the car’s electric motor. Instead, a replicated engine noise is played through the 500e’s sound system which is what the Italian carmaker calls the Sound Generator.
A dedicated team of sound designers collaborated with Sound Design Studios to give the performance EV its voice, with the project taking around six months of work over the span of two years.
What they came up with is an ‘exhaust note’ that mimics that of a current-generation Abarth petrol engine. In fact, the reason it sounds so similar is because the team used recordings of the internal combustion engine at each phase of driving including acceleration, deceleration, braking, cornering and more.
The sound clips were then analysed and processed to create what we hear today, a digitally reproduced engine sound.
Vehicle occupants and those around the 500e are fed the noise through the EV’s rear exterior speaker at different volumes depending on the vehicle’s state. When stationary, the Sound Generator replicates the petrol car’s engine at idle and increases its volume in relation to speed.
It’s worth noting that the feature can be turned on and off by the driver when the car is stopped via the cluster settings.
Kiwis will soon be able to experience the feeling and sound of the fully electric Abarth 500e when it lands on our shores in the later stages of 2023.
For now, have a listen to what it sounds like below.
