The Sound Of The ŠKODA ENYAQ iV
With the help of composers and music producers, the sound of the ŠKODA ENYAQ iV is designed to emit a warning sound to alert other road users of its presence due to being almost inaudible at low speeds.
It is important to include a warning noise as sound helps people navigate through spaces, thanks to instincts being trained to hear whether a car is coming towards us, as well as which direction it’s coming from. When it comes to electric vehicles like the new ŠKODA ENYAQ iV, the E-noise system as seen in the SUPERB iV ensures these vehicles can be heard coming, without compromising on the peaceful and quiet drive created by the electric motor.
As the sound is added, the latest addition to the ŠKODA family has been created with its own characterful warning sound for low speeds. The ENYAQ iV sound was created by Pavel Orendáš and his team from the ŠKODA development centre.
“The ENYAQ iV is an all-electric car, so it was quite a challenge to design a sound to match its identity. The sound was fine-tuned in the Volkswagen Group’s acoustic laboratory. One thing was clear from the start: it must be noticeably different from the sound emitted by plug-in hybrids,”
Pavel Orendáš, ŠKODA development centre
Designed to suit the MEB-platform models of Volkswagen Group brands, the character of the sound included help from music composers and is compact across the 0-25 km/h speed range. The ENYAQ iV sound was crafted to create an emotive and unique feel to match the character of the all new electric SUV. A key element of the design process was to ensure there would be no imitation of the mechanical noise made by a combustion engine, but to produce a futuristic and electronic sound.
The installation of the sound generator for the MEB electric platform is also innovative, as explained by the Head Project Engineer.
“The wide-frequency speaker and electronics are fully integrated into a one-litre box. This design was given the working name OneBox. Above all, the solution made it possible to optimise its weight. For assembly onto the cooling module, three rubber bushes are used to ensure the perfect sound and minimum reverberation from the vehicle’s structure. The first testing in cars showed that the solution was the right one – the sound spread evenly on both sides in the front part of the car and created a pleasant, muffled reverberation in the cockpit.”
Head Project Engineer, ŠKODA development centre
The function of the sound generator had also been tested on volunteers:
“At first the sound was tested on a selected group of people, and we also demonstrated it to the management. That was followed by measurement inside the cars and checking that the acoustic limit complied with the legislation. It was here that our colleagues from the acoustic lab did some great work. Getting a homologation certificate from an independent certifying institute was a key requirement for launching the new model on the market,”
Pavel Orendáš, ŠKODA development centre
To find out more about the exciting ŠKODA ENYAQ iV and the sound of the fully electric SUV, contact your local Caffyns ŠKODA today.