Most of an EV’s life is spent operating between 25 and 50 miles per hour. At this speed, wind noise is still minimal and motor noise is mostly masked by road and tyre noise. That means that the most dominant noise experienced by drivers and passengers of EVs will mostly be road and tyre noise.
“Changes on weight distribution, mixing heavy battery packs and lighter weight vehicle structures make it difficult to mitigate road and tyre noise,” says Xavier. “We try to confront this with a focus on tire technology, mechanical isolation in the suspension and innovative noise control materials in the interior and exterior of the car. And, of course, we must do this without adding weight and cost to the vehicle.”
The quality of roads is an issue that cities and governments are working to solve. “Tyre companies are working to improve tyres, but if the roads aren’t good enough, they will not be able to achieve any major improvements. As a part of noise pollution control, cities will need to find a better material for road surfaces that can absorb the noise caused by the impact of the tyre on the road.”