It will be a sad day when the sound of a V-8 or V-12 screaming is no longer associated with a modern Ferrari. However, with some governments pushing to ban internal-combustion engines, automakers, including exotic brands like Ferrari, are making plans to switch their lineups to electric vehicles.
EVs have proven to be fast, and their disadvantages involving weight and slow charge times should only be improved over time. However, part of the allure of a Ferrari is the sound of its engine, something that quiet-running EVs can’t match.
To get around the issue, automakers have started adding sound generators to the EVs, in some cases to help pedestrians and the vision impaired know the vehicle is approaching. Ferrari is also investigating such a solution, as evidenced by a patent filed by the automaker with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Spotted last week by Car Buzz, the patent describes a means to amplify the sound from the electric powertrain and have the sound played from the rear of the vehicle. The proposed system would work by measuring the resonance frequencies of key powertrain components like the motor and transmission, and even further down the drivetrain like the differential and wheels. The frequencies would then be amplified and played, with the intensity determined by the motor’s rotational speed.
Dodge has developed a similar system called Fratzonic for its upcoming EV previewed by the Charger Daytona SRT and Charger Daytona SRT Banshee concepts. Other automakers have even hired music composers to develop sounds for the EVs.
Ferrari is well aware of the importance of the sound its vehicles make. In an investor presentation last June, CEO Benedetto Vigna said that sound is one of the “essentials that characterizes a Ferrari.” He also said each Ferrari engine has its own signature sound and that he expects electric Ferraris to have their own distinct sound.
Ferrari’s first EV is due in 2025 and is tipped to be an SUV.
