[Quietcars] Lotus article from Car and Driver.

[michael townsend]

Here's an article and link for more resources.  Interesting things are
happening at Lotus engineering,  

Mike T

Sounds for Silence
An EV sounds as thrilling as an electric toothbrush and roughly as powerful.
But
Lotus is developing EVs and hybrid sound systems that can rattle eardrums
like a
V-8-powered car, not chiefly for driving pleasure but for pedestrian safety.
With
European and U.S. legislators considering minimum noise standards for EVs,
Lotus
sees a potential market for its "external electronic sound synthesis"
technology.
The idea grew out of close calls at the Lotus facility in -Hethel, England,
where
workers were nearly clipped by Teslas. Lotus held listening sessions with
blind subjects,
who said an EV's sound needed to grow in volume and frequency with vehicle
speed
for people to be able to judge its approach distance. In a Toyota Prius
demonstrator,
a waterproof, front-mounted speaker and amplifier draw from realistic engine
sounds
(when in electric-only mode) that correspond to speed and throttle position.
When
the Prius's gas engine fires up, the broadcast shuts down. To trim noise
pollution,
sound is projected in a low, narrow field that's only audible to people in
the car's
path.
Lotus testing revealed that EV prospects don't want a traditional stoplight
snarl
but prefer a more futuristic note. "We came up with this spaceship-y,
Star Trek
 warble," says Colin Peachey, Lotus's chief engineer for noise, vibration,
and harshness.
But the company has developed a library of internal-combustion classics-from
smooth-jazz
Porsche to thrash-metal Mustang-that can also be piped through the audio
system.
But isn't an Enzo-tuned EV the equivalent of a lip-synching Milli Vanilli?
On the
contrary, Peachey says. Good engine sounds not only keep drivers involved
and alert
but subdue tire drone, wind noise, and other annoying frequencies.
Lotus will roll out the technology on electric delivery vehicles for a U.K.
supermarket
chain. It envisions applications ranging from filling in the sound of a
deactivated
cylinder to making aftermarket devices for tuner-car fans.
 
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/09q2/2011_dodge_circuit_ev-first_dri
ve_review/making_evs_heard_page_2 

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