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AUTOMOTIVE ACOUSTICS AVAS – A Sound Investment


Jonathan Newell talks to Rajus Augustine of Harman about the EU regulation on equipping electric and hybrid vehicles with acoustic vehicle alert systems.


R


eleased this summer, EU Regulation 540/2014 requires any new silent electric cars and hybrid vehicles to be equipped with an AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alert System). By the same


time next year, all new vehicles sold in or imported to the EU, regardless of their type, must be equipped with the same technology. The legislation came about due to advocacy from organisations representing blind people globally amid growing concerns that the acoustic signature of an approaching vehicle is changing. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers


& Traders (SMMT), new registrations of electric vans rose nearly 21% in 2018, and with major UK logistics and retail companies adding electric vehicles to their fleet, the trend looks set to continue.


BOLT-ON OR BUILT-IN In response to the new regulation, a number of companies are now supplying black box aftermarket products that meet the regulatory requirements by emitting a continuous highly directional sound of an appropriate volume. However, since the onus is on the OEM to supply compliant vehicles, the black box approach doesn’t meet the all important brand quality requirements, particularly of the higher end suppliers. Infotainment and vehicle safety specialist, Harman, is working with its OEM partners in the automotive industry to provide AVAS systems that seamlessly fit into the structure of the vehicle and become part of the brand DNA. I spoke to Rajus Augustine, Senior Director Product Strategy & Planning, Car Audio at Harman about his company’s approach to automotive acoustics.


ACOUSTIC DNA


According to Augustine, the major automotive manufacturers want to meet the regulatory requirements whilst projecting the right image and perception of quality that’s associated with the brand. “AVAS gives the OEMs an opportunity to augment


their brand DNA with their acoustic signature,” he says. The sound of a car is an important indicator of the brand and manufacturers employ musicians


❱ ❱ The HALOsonic acoustic system provides external sound to warn pedestrians of the vehicle’s approach as well as internal sound to meet the maker’s brand aspirations


and other associated professionals to make sure the internal chimes and gongs as well as the exhaust note and even the door closure noise reflect the image they want. “Harman’s role is to enable our partners to manage the sound and give them the tools to define it the way they want,” says Augustine.


WIRED FOR SOUND Harman’s approach is to use its technology to provide audible cues externally whilst giving a good user experience to those inside the car. It achieves this with its HALOsonic product, which provides a combination of External Electronic Sound Synthesis (eESS) for delivering the required AVAS; Engine Order Cancellation (EOC) to cancel out the undesirable noise characteristics of hybrid and electric motors; Internal Electronic Sound Synthesis (iESS) for generating an attractive sound profile inside the vehicle for the occupants; and Road Noise Cancellation (RNC) to counteract the increased predominance of intrusive road noise within the vehicle.


By using this approach and building all the


acoustic elements into one acoustic control system, Harman believes it can turn a regulatory requirement into a combined safety improvement and user quality improvement. According to Augustine, the sound profile of cars has changed enormously. Turbine whine, hybrid switching and the noises of the road, suspension, pumps and electric motors now predominate and all can be seen as a nuisance and a cause for tiredness. “Through cancellation, enhancement and masking, the sound profile of the car can be restored to make it more attractive to buyers without the need for extra weight or emissions,” concludes Augustine.


Automotive Test & Validation Vol 2 No. 2 /// 5


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