Dodge Might Put Vibrators Into Electric Cars To Make Them Rumble Like V8s. Here’s How It Would Work

Ave System Ts1
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Much of what fuels the EV debate is the trade-offs inherent in any emerging technology. Issues like range, charging speed, and infrastructure problems are the topics brought up over and over in this occasionally exhausting conversation. These have been the main focus for automakers in their arms race to make EVs as convenient to own as gas-powered cars. While companies work tirelessly to close the gap on these shortcomings, many are missing a key facet of car ownership that will leave gearheads in the cold if it isn’t addressed: the driving experience.

I can attest to this, having driven a variety of EV’s. Most models deliver brutal acceleration that few gas cars can match, but after you floor it a couple times (and give your stomach a chance to settle down), everyday driving feels pretty anonymous. If I ignore the interior and just focus on the driving sensations there isn’t a huge difference between a Mach-E, an EV6, or a Model 3. It’s a bit like riding in a high speed train. The speed that scenery flies by your window is thrilling at first, but after that wears off it’s just quiet, efficient transportation. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it won’t warm the cockles of a gearhead’s heart.

A lot of this is because most EV’s offer a detached driving experience. There’s no engine, flooding the cabin with the sounds and vibrations we all love. Steering and pedal inputs are by wire or electronically assisted removing another source of tactile feedback. The lack of transmissions eliminate the feel of the engine going through the gears. With regenerative braking you don’t even need to use the brake pedal most of the time. If you are a luxury car buyer, this type of experience is desirable, but not everyone wants to commute in an isolated pod. There is a huge opportunity for automakers to differentiate themselves. Thankfully one automaker is doing just that.

Recently uncovered by MoparInsiders.com,  Stellantis (well, FCA U.S. LLC — the patent filing is a few years old)filed a patent with the World Intellectual Property Organization for a system called the Active Vehicle Enhancement System (AVE), which uses force generators to fill the vehicle’s cabin with the vibrations typically generated by a gas engine. This would work in tandem with an Active Sound Enhancement (ASE) system playing engine noise through the speakers, and the Exhaust Sound Enhancement (ESE) system. The goal, besides inventing a bunch of new TLAs the industry loves so much (Three Letter Acronyms), is to mimic the visceral feeling you get wheeling a gas car. This is a big deal, and something currently absent in the current crop of EVs. Let’s see what they have to say in the patent:

Battery electric vehicles (BEV’s) may provide a greener alternative to vehicles with combustion engines. However, BEV’s can emit very low noise levels… Known solutions include creating electronic noises through external speakers on a vehicle. However, these systems do not produce an authentic engine sound nor are they as loud as a high-performance vehicle. Additionally, vehicles that have traditionally been considered “muscle cars” or “high performance” may no longer have a characteristic sound emitted through their exhaust systems. Further still, in vehicles with the known systems, the sound can feel unnatural due to lack of tactile feedback experienced with vehicles having internal combustion engines. Thus, while current systems work well for their intended purpose, it is desirable to provide continuous improvement in the relevant art.

The patent goes into detail on how the ASE system will work concurrently with the Engine Sound Enhancement system and Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust  to mimic the full sensory experience an ICE vehicle provides. The control scheme telling everything what to do is similar to the active sound enhancement systems that pipe artificial engine noise through the speakers. Data from pedal position, wheel speed, and electric motor torque sensors are fed into a controller that works with the CAN system to play continuously changing, sample based .wav files to match the vibro-acoustic output of a gas motor in your current driving situation. The patent mentions playing startup and shutdown sounds along with the ability to choose different vehicle profiles, which is pretty cool. You can get the experience of driving some futuristic Jetsons-mobile one day, a 69 Charger the next, and if we are lucky, an 80’s Omni GLH or a 76 Aspen! Imagine going to work in a Hellcat then driving home to the sounds of a roided out Neon SRT4, sounds pretty fun right?

 

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Schematic for the Active Vibration Enhancement, Active Sound Enhancement, and Exhaust Sound Enhancement system. Source: WIPO

 

The drawing below shows the mounting scheme of the actuators to the frame of the car. The patent describes these as a rare earth magnet surrounded by an electromagnetic field generator (copper winding), which is basically a speaker without the cone. These transmit vibrations directly to the chassis. The vibration output would be tuned to the vehicle to amplify certain resonance frequencies and reduce others. The controller splits the engine sound signal into different frequency ranges that make sense for the shakers, the speaker system and the exhaust. With this setup you’ll be able to feel the vibrations through the seats, pedals, steering wheel, and armrest. Combined with the engine noise playing through the interior speakers and out the exhaust, it should be an immersive setup.

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Mounting Scheme for the Shakers. Source: WIPO

Figure 3 below shows the exhaust system, which uses woofers and mid range speakers played into tuned chambers to blast noise out of the exhaust tips. This is a similar concept to Borla’s Active Performance Sound system they released for EV’s last year.

 

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Exhaust Sound Enhancement System. Image Source: WIPO

If anyone would develop this technology, it would be Stellantis. The company has been working on its next generation Dodge Charger, which will have at least one version that is fully electric. For a company that’s made its bread and butter stuffing larger and larger Hemi V8s into their cars, they’ll need to do something to retain that enthusiast customer base. With this sound and vibration package, their eRupt electro-mechanical multi-speed transmission, and the blistering acceleration we’ve come to expect from electric vehicles, they’ll have a compelling vehicle that will hopefully retain many of their gearhead fans, while standing out from other EV’s on the market.

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Dodge Charger Daytona concept. Image Source: Stellantis

Of course there will be a segment of gearheads that will poo-poo any type of artificial enhancements to the driving experience. The type of folks who only listen to their classic rock on vinyl through a tube amp and some Cerwin Vegas because that’s how it’s “meant to be listened to.” And I get it. I was a little skeptical of active sound enhancement systems at first, thinking they were corny. But my current vehicle has this feature and I’ve grown to like it. It’s better than hearing no engine noise, or having the car’s sound package so compromised you get tons of road and wind noise along with the notes from the engine. Odds are, many of these people have no problem with cars with questionably functional aero or decorative air vents because, hey it looks cool. I bet a lot of those people will get on board after some seat time and tire smoking hoonage.

I haven’t experienced this exact type of system, but I’m well acquainted with something similar, NVH simulators. These are very expensive, highly tuned driving simulators that automakers use for things such as jury evaluations (think focus groups), virtual part swaps, and NVH testing. They aren’t built for having fun, they’re designed to replicate the sound and vibration sensory experience as accurately as possible in multiple driving scenarios.

The setup is similar, with actuators attached to the frame, pedals, and steering column, sending vibrations through all the touch points, as well as an array of speakers and the curved screen. These shakers simulate the vibrations from the powertrain, different road surfaces, even speed bumps. The sensations paired with the sounds felt so real it was eerie. If Dodge can get this system a fraction as accurate as what I’ve experienced, with the option to switch sound and vibration profiles on the fly, this car will be a hoot to drive. In the end, that’s all gearheads are looking for and should be worth celebrating.

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147 thoughts on “Dodge Might Put Vibrators Into Electric Cars To Make Them Rumble Like V8s. Here’s How It Would Work

  1. This has “subscription feature” written all over it, as in if you don’t pay a monthly fee Stellantis will enable a default mode that makes it sound and feel exactly like a Dodge Omni with a dead cylinder.

    1. In my experience, that’s exactly what the automatic did: cut power by at least 25%.
      —not that the manual was sprightly, but increasing noise was not the sole noticeable difference when you floored it. That automatic Horizon colored my view of slushboxes for decades.

  2. Hot take: All exhaust noises are from inherently “fake”, meant to impart a certain sense of experience. Otherwise a straight pipe hood exit would the the primary experience for all gearheads. (For some it is)

    The biggest thing to make EVs more of a fun experience is to make them lighter, but I’m open to anything that makes it more engaging as long as it’s customizable.

    1. This made me chuckle as I sometimes carry just the head of a 2lb mallet which allows me to hit things where there’s no room to swing it with handle.
      So, yeah: a metal ‘rock’ 😉

  3. I don’t even like fake vents on cars, so the sheer lack of authenticity here is enough to say, “hard pass.” Hopefully you can turn the feature on/off.

  4. I could see this being fun.
    Right off the bat, I’d want to lean into the electric thing: as I approached my hypothetical BEV Subaru XT, I’d like the car to sound like a turbine/massive generator ramping up as the proximity sensor prompts to to raise up to ride height, then subside to maybe a large hovercraft as I get in & take off.

    I can see the potential for a lot of noise pollution if we get multiple sound files to play with: traffic would be filled with rumbles, farts—Ride of the Valkyries!

    Take the vibration further: if I can have my ‘engine rumble’, why not larger vibrators so the car can shake as it plays the file with serious cam chop?

    Sound files could become the new bumper stickers as people play everything from martial music-or Wagner-to birds chirping/sheep bleating

    1. I knew a guy working on one of the OEM’s pedestrian warning systems. He loaded Ludacris’s “Move bitch get out the way” on the module and blasted that while driving around the prototype garage.

  5. I kinda hate this. One of the best things about driving an EV is how smooth it is. If you want to provide more tactile feedback, make the steering and suspension better. Also, this is yet another instance of adding cost, weight, and complexity for no good reason.

    Let the car be what it is. Or make it sound like it’s from the Jetsons.

  6. “… that will poo-poo any type of artificial enhancements to the driving experience. The type of folks who only listen to their classic rock on vinyl through a tube amp and some Cerwin Vegas because that’s how it’s “meant to be listened to.”

    I think you have this exactly backwards. This is stupid because it’s artificially adding noise (and weight, and power draw) just to replicate an older-style driving experience that actually detracts from performance.

    I listen to digital music (lossless flac when possible, right) because it has less noise, and does a better job at it’s intended purpose, of faithfully reproducing the music, WITHOUT noise. I’m all about function over form.

    People listen to vinyl/tubes because there is a certain kind of noise that they are used to, and that’s what they want to hear. Form over function. They want to hear that older-style listening experience.
    People want to add noise to their EV, because that’s “what a car is supposed to sound like”. They are also about form over function, trying to replicate an older-style experience.

    1. I’m kind of in the middle. I have a vinyl collection, and my receiver and amp are older than I am because I think the technology is cool, but I’m also ripping all my physical media onto a server so I can stream it wherever. The additional components for the system probably weigh as much as a few bags of groceries and if it’s a Dodge it will have massive horsepower. If you are trying to set lap times I agree, tear this stuff out. But for tooling around on your daily commute I think it’s fine and could bring some joy to your time in the car.

  7. I can’t wait for the Charger-specific programs for this.

    “Curb Jump”
    This mode simulates the thuds and vibrations you would experience jumping over a curb to exit a parking lot in your newly-stolen Dodge! This mode automatically sets your GPS destination to the nearest street race.

    “Oakland Rodeo”
    Activating Oakland Rodeo mode will vibrate with the sensations of intersection donuts! After ten minutes, the audio system will start playing the sounds of distant police sirens and the GPS will plot you an escape routed entirely by traveling the wrong way on one-way streets.

    “12 O’Clock Boys Escort”
    Re-live the days of harassing motorists while riding dirt bikes through city streets. This mode will thrill you with the sensations of a thumping pack of single cylinder machines. The accompanying audio track randomly inserts the sounds of breaking automotive glass and kicked side mirrors.

    “Dealer Shakedown”
    After the test drive, the vehicle will automatically enter this mode. It is designed to shake any and all payment methods out of you while the dealer explains you will be paying over MSRP for this vehicle because it (and every other Charger on the lot) is a special limited edition.

      1. That’s the hidden Easter Egg ‘Tiki Torch Mode’ which Dodge doesn’t want to talk about. You unlock it by doing three nazi salutes in view of the backup camera.

  8. It’s stupid. But I think it could be fun, occasionally. Don’t like it? Buy something else. Or just never turn it on and forget about it. There are many features in my 2011 Ford S-Max that I never use. They are just there and I tolerate their existence. Just don’t have me have to push a button every time I turn the ignition on to turn the feature off. Looking at you, darn Start-stop system!

  9. I think this will end up a bit like modelling guitar amps these days… a lot of younger players say they perfectly replicate a tube amp, older players that have say they come close enough to warrant only having one amp that does multiple duties and then there’s fanatics like me that have to have tubes for the touch sensitivity and the wild feedback when paired with a thinline guitar

    1. Eh you don’t need tubes for feedback, you just need volume :p

      I’m not classic rock levels of old and dislike vinyl greatly, but I yet have to experience a tubeless amp that really does it for me. Modelers are getting closer every day, but they’re not there yet, and they all kinda flatten the sound. They’re great for banging out demos or playing live without a semi trailer full of gear, but I’m still planning to use my tube amps for the foreseeable future.

      1. Maybe I struggle with getting feedback on anything else because it doesn’t sound/feel right enough at volume… I’m not that old either… but my family never had new gear until I had money… I don’t have a genuine vintage budget but I got ripping deals on some new and old stuff that I have… Solid state/modelling amps are good enough for a bash around the piano at my brother’s places

  10. The Stellantis pendulum could swing one way or another on this. On one hand, they could stick with their story. Otoh they could release a Swinger edition.

    Maybe an upside down pineapple ???? on the headrests is all that’s needed

    1. It’s terminally silly but I can dig it, especially if you can get different vibration and noise profiles to emulate different cars or vintages of your own car.

      Of course those will be available on a subscription basis.

  11. It ain’t ‘merican muscle until they have it puff a fine mix of lead and carbon monoxide into the cabin. And while they’re at it I want propellors back on my airplanes and plumes of steam and coal smoke from every train I see. This is the Boomerest news-item I’ve seen all week (politics excluded).

  12. Not sure if this was urban legend, but I heard that when automatic transmissions were invented one of the automakers assumed that customers would still want to feel the car shifting like in a manual, so they chose ATF fluid that made this happen. Kind of the same thing going on here many decades later.

  13. I hope it has the dieseling feature that my friends old wagon used to have. He’d turn off the car and it would keep running indefinitely until he’d pump the pedal enough times to flood it and finally it would stop in a cloud of smoke.

  14. This makes as much sense as a vegetarian “hamburger”.
    If it’s not beef, it’s not a hamburger.
    Sure… it might be a half decent substitute but it’s not the real thing, and there are so many more delicious vegan/vegetarian recipes available.

    Like a plant based patty this is just lazy thinking.

    Worry about making a better EV instead of a half decent ICE substitute.
    Try some new recipes.

    1. My thinking exactly, this is the automobile equivalent of tofurkey. Ironically, considering the average Charger owner would probably starve before being caught eating something vegetarian.
      And it hits harder after today’s morning dump where the whole “EVs are just heavy, expensive ICE imitations” situation was correctly cited as one of the reasons Chinese car makers are ahead at the moment.

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