With the era of electric mobility nearing ever closer, there’s a few things that our beloved combustion engines create that aren’t easily replicated with alternative powered solutions - one of those is the sound an engine makes. Yamaha aims to bring a solution to the table for their future electric plans with its ‘Alive’ noise-box.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the upcoming electric era, the noise created by your ride is vital for many reasons - namely sheer enjoyment and response - but also the safety aspect for pedestrians and road users to hear you coming.
Electric vehicles are inherently silent, and unfortunately many pedestrians seem to solely rely on their echolocation abilities (or lack thereof) to identify trouble when deciding to cross a road last minute.
The Japanese manufacturer is looking to bring a solution to this worry. Well known in the two-wheeled world (of course) they’re equally regarded in other circles for their musical counterparts, making this collaboration of the Yamaha Motor Co & Yamaha Corp hit the all right notes.
The division of engineers working on this noise-generator is called ‘Alive’, and Hideo Fujita (one of the team crafting the soundscapes at Yamaha) says that anything is possible, “even one that sounds like Star Wars” is possible. Now that’s what I call pod racing.
Choosing your own engine noise is one thing, but how it works is another. To find the best solution, engineers are experimenting and figuring out which sounds & tones reverberate the best when the rider/driver punches it, and how the noises from the box can be intensified by the frame and components of the vehicle.
Yamaha aim to solve the quiet issue of noiseless electric propulsion
Advancements like this are to be expected from Yamaha, who has recently committed their future plans to become carbon neutral as a company by 2050. A huge part of their plans will centre around crating new and exciting forms of transport utilising renewable energy for mobility.
Whilst Yamaha is breathing life into its future electric models with ‘Alive’, BMW are working with Hans Zimmer to try a different approach - and Kymco has been musing the same problems for years, with their RevoNEX & Ionex models.
