Electric cars are killing the joy of driving, but sonic design is here to save it
(Image credit: Bentley) Copy link Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Recently, Bentley unveiled its first-ever fully electric vehicle, the Torcal. As a car brand with a century of motoring…
Annons
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(Image credit: Bentley) Copy link Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Recently, Bentley unveiled its first-ever fully electric vehicle, the Torcal. As a car brand with a century of motoring heritage, the transition to EVs has naturally ruffled a few feathers – no engine to rev, no soul behind the wheel, critics argued.To remedy this, Bentley devised a synthetic soundtrack built from drum recordings modelled on its old eight-cylinder engines. Distinctly different from its previous models, the startup noise replaces the engine purr so many drivers are used to, but will this mark the death of the traditional driving experience, and is it enough to convert classic car lovers?To get a deeper understanding of this new EV trend, I caught up with Max De Lucia, co-founder of sonic branding agency DLMDD, to discuss what the future of EV sound design will bring.Latest Videos FromCreative BloqWatch full video here: (Image credit: Bentley)What was your initial reaction to Bentley’s new synthetic soundtrack?Well, I wanted to hate it. I’m a petrolhead with a particular interest in classic cars where the engines gurgle, whirl and scream. I also love a V8 – the engine Bentley is most famed for. So when I heard they’d ‘faked it’, I felt similar emotions to most of the YouTube comments. But it’s actually really rather good. They’ve cared about it – thought about the human imperfections and embarked on recording with drums and live orchestral forces. The fact is the Torcal is an EV – there is no combustion engine to make your anatomy fizz with driving pleasure. So designing ‘the new world’ is a challenge, and Bentley has attacked it with some intent.
