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Ferraris will still growl even when running on battery: Supercar legend files patent to blast electric powertrain, sounds through external speakers
- The Italian car brand’s patent for improving the performance of EV sounds revealed
- It records real sounds from the electric motors and other components
- These are pumped out of a ‘sound reproduction device’ in the back of cars
Even if they switch to battery power, Ferrari supercars would continue to make a booming noise if a patent filed by the Italian company is used in its electric vehicles of the future.
The Maranello-based automaker’s plans have been revealed through design drawings filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, which were first noticed by CarBuzz.
They suggest that the iconic brand wants to use the authentic sounds created by the powerful electric motors that power its plug-in models, then enhance them and pump the sound out through external speakers.
Ferraris smash into electric future: Italian supercar brand seems to be developing a system that improves the soundtrack of its battery-powered models
The Maranello-based automaker’s plans have been revealed through design drawings filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, which were first spotted by CarBuzz
Ferrari has teased that it will release its first all-electric car as early as 2025, and expects 40 percent of its vehicle sales to be fully battery-powered by the end of the decade.
For many supercar enthusiasts and collectors, the transition from the thunderous symphony of the company’s V8 and V12 powerplants will be a sad moment indeed.
However, Ferraris of the future could still create an exciting soundtrack if the Italian company wants to continue with these patent plans.
The drawings show that the brand will not try to recreate the engine noises we have come to know and love, but will amplify the real tone created by its battery-powered powertrains.
CarBuzz says the submitted system would extrapolate the hum generated by the electric motors and other components, record it and then amplify the notes through a “sound reproduction device” – or external speaker – mounted on the rear axle so that it pumps out as if it is an exhaust from a car with a combustion engine.
By creating a ‘real’ sound, electric Ferraris adhere to the brand’s strict authenticity ethic
It means that the noise an electric Ferrari makes when passing people on the street is directly related to the speed at which the powertrain operates and how forcefully the owner steps on the accelerator.
This will create a ‘real powertrain’ sound, rather than a synthesized soundtrack that almost all EVs have today.
The system will therefore adhere to Ferrari’s strict ethos of authenticity and continue to provide customers with luxury vehicles that sound as exciting as they look and perform.
It’s a very different take on what Ferrari’s smaller Italian sibling is doing with its first electric performance model.
The electric Abarth 500e has a powerful 42 kWh battery. But to make it sound more exciting, the car uses speakers to reproduce the roar of a powerful petrol engine
Abarth – the sporty arm of Fiat – recently unveiled its hot 500e, which is powered by a 42kWh battery. But to make it more attractive to sports car customers, it develops an artificial “roar” using a sound generator that reproduces the roar of its traditional combustion engines.
The company said: ‘The new Abarth 500e is the first and only city car to be fitted with the Sound Generator, for those who don’t want to give up Abarth’s signature – the unmistakable Abarth ‘roar’.
“The sound generator accompanies engine performance and faithfully reproduces the sound of an Abarth petrol engine.”
Other brands have taken a slightly different approach to the sounds their EVs produce.
BMW, for example, has hired famed composer Hans Zimmer to formulate soundtracks for its EVs.