Electric vehicles (EVs) don’t make much noise. It’s a problem. From pedestrian safety issues to driver expectations, there are a lot of good reasons automakers want their EVs to make some noise.
Hans Zimmer makes much noise. It’s a gift. He has Grammy Awards, Oscars, and Golden Globes. He owns his own production company and runs the music division for DreamWorks film studios.
BMW has decided to give the noise problem to the noise guy. Bimmer hired Zimmer to create BMW IconicSounds Electric, “a new, characteristic driving sound for the BMW i4, the M version of the BMW i4 and the BMW iX.”
The sounds include a ready-to-drive sound on startup and a unique sound for stopping. A separate driving sound will vary with throttle input like an internal combustion engine’s exhaust note.
A Separate Album for M Cars
“Every BMW has its own character, which is reflected in the sound it makes,” Zimmer explains. “So, for the electrically driven BMW M models we have developed a driving sound which accentuates their emotional driving experience particularly vividly and ensures their performance can be felt with even greater intensity.” Non-M-badged BMW EVs will get their own sound.
You can hear samples of the sounds in a video BMW has posted about the collaboration. A trailer, you might say. It isn’t easy to describe sounds in words, so we’ll let BMW try:
“In the basic setting, BMW IconicSounds Electric employs a strikingly transparent timbre with spherical components to convey the basic character of an electrically driven BMW brand model. An immersive and pleasant atmosphere is created initially in the BMW i4 in COMFORT mode. But when the driver steps on the accelerator, the direct relationship between how the car is being driven and the sounds it makes is immediately revealed: the sound experience deepens as load and speed increase.
“In SPORT mode, in particular, the car’s aural spectrum is more dominant and powerful, the sound providing a constant commentary on the driving situation. Drive system processes are registered within milliseconds, and acceleration, load changes, or recuperation given a suitable acoustic accompaniment. Only when the vehicle is traveling in ECO PRO mode is the acoustic feedback reduced to nothing. Here, the silence of the drive system underscores the driver’s decision to adopt an ultra-efficient driving style.”
Available for Download Soon
IconicSounds Electric will be standard equipment on the BMW iX and M-badged EVs. It will be an added-cost option on the BMW i4.
“In cars with earlier build dates, the new sounds can be imported retrospectively via Remote Software Upgrade, should the customer wish,” the company adds.
We’ll bring pricing for the aural upgrade when BMW reveals it.
