Stellantis wants its electric cars to transmit the same driving sensations as a sports car with an internal combustion engine. To do this, it has developed a patented technology that will make these vehicles not only sound, but also vibrate.
One of the weaknesses of electric cars is that they do not transmit the same sensations as a combustion car. It is true that they offer great acceleration thanks to their instantaneous torque delivery, that they are more comfortable on trips due to the absence of noise, and that they offer great stability thanks to their lower center of gravity courtesy of the position in which they are positioned. located the battery.
But, for purists, the fact that it does not sound and that power characteristic of large combustion engines is not perceived is an aspect that may end up declining the purchase. For this reason, many manufacturers strive to replicate the sound of their combustion cars in electric ones. In fact, this is what the new electric Porsche Macan may sound like.
The electric sports cars of the future will make noise and vibrate
Leaving aside whether the artificial sound of an electric car convinces you or bothers you, Stellantis has created a system to make an electric car look like a combustion one. This novelty is called Active Sound Enhancement (ASE) and Active Vibration System Enhancement (AVE), and has just been patented before the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
This system seeks to emulate both the sound and vibrations characteristic of cars with internal combustion engines in electric vehicles. The idea is that this technology, which has no specific function other than the one previously described, is available in the company's electric sports cars, with the new Dodge Charger Daytona being the first to receive it.
Dodge is one of the brands in which the transition to 100% electric mobility will entail the greatest changes. The company must abandon its muscle cars with V8 engines in favor of electric vehicles with performance-oriented propulsion systems, although without the sound or sensations of models with thermal engines.
Therefore, by implementing the new ASE and AVE system, Dodge will be able to recreate the experience of driving a muscle car with a V8 under the hood. To achieve this, as explained by Mopar Insiders, the patent will allow the electric car to vibrate in several different ways.
One of them is using a force generator that will create vibrations in the chassis or body of the vehicle with several sensors that will respond to the driving parameters.
The second option would be to generate those same vibrations in contact areas of the interior, such as the steering wheel or the driver's seat. To achieve this, this patent makes use of interior and exterior speakers, and an “exhaust system” that reacts based on engine speed, acceleration, wheel speed and engine torque.
Although emulating exhaust sounds inside cars is not a new technology (in fact, it is even done in some cars with combustion engines), being able to transmit vibrations to improve driving sensations is something that we had not seen before. seen so far.