BMW says the EV M3’s sound must help drivers judge speed, not just add drama.
It won’t copy a V8, V10 or straight-six, but BMW studied them to understand emotion.
Real e-motor sounds are used as a base, then enriched to avoid a flat EV drone.
BMW admits fast electric vehicles have one major problem. Sure, they have brutal acceleration, but without the acoustic feedback drivers are used to, it can be hard to judge speed around a track. That’s a problem it's trying to solve with its upcoming electric M3.
In a previous video giving us a peek at the M3 EV’s development, BMW showed engineers recording three of its most iconic M cars. I assumed it was recording them to repurpose their acceleration sounds for the new, otherwise silent electric M3. But in a new video, BMW has revealed that it had no plans to use the actual sounds in the production car.
