The race to create the perfect electric car is on, but it isn’t without its challenges.

Tesla set the ball rolling, but other car manufacturers quickly began to work on their own models. Porsche unveiled the all-electric Taycan in September, and Lamborghini has been hard at work trying to create the perfect electric engine.

One of the things that until recently was overlooked was the fact that battery-powered cars hardly make any noise when they move.

According to Mashable, the nearly silent experience has prompted new regulations in the United States and Europe, requiring carmakers to build in warning noises to alert pedestrians to oncoming hybrid and all-electric vehicles.

Ford worked with music and movie sound production teams to develop a sound people will hear when a vehicle is moving or nearby:

BMW’s electric cars will make a sound created by Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer, who created a sound “inspired by a sculpture” and made up of a “blend of female voices coming together”:

Stop it. No car should ever sound that impressed with itself.

Starting in 2020, BMW’s electric vehicles will feature an exclusive start/stop sound created by Zimmer, the official BMW curator for electric sounds, and BMW sound designer Renzo Vitale. Because there’s no sound cue from a combustion engine, it’s intended to let the driver know the car is ready to go, or that the car is off.

Zimmer is describing the electric car as a space with “unlimited potential”, where “you can do anything you want”.

While Zimmer plays with car sounds, Toyota Uruguay is trying to make their car sounds environmentally friendly.

Looking at studies about noise affecting plant growth and animal migration, Toyota came up with an electric and hybrid sound for pedestrian warning that promotes plant growth. It’s part of the Hy Project, which claims to have researched and tested frequencies that don’t disturb animal communication for hunting, mating, and just living.

The video is in Spanish, so you might want to skip ahead to 1:40 to hear the sound:

With no uniform car sound for electric vehicles, we’re anticipating a lot of creativity.

Soon Uber will be sending you audio clips so that you can identify the make of car picking you up.

[source:mashable]