Hyundai surprised many when it launched the Ioniq 5 N: not because it made a performance EV, as a handful of those already existed.
Rather than accept that EVs have to be quiet, Hyundai decided to simulate not only the sound but also the feeling of driving a petrol-powered hot hatch, implementing piped-in engine noises to the cabin and exterior, while also mimicking the feeling of a dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Initially criticised by some before even getting the chance to drive it, the system has received near universal acclaim for producing an engaging and familiar driving experience, with the aural soundtrack joined by the jolts of gear changes.
Set to be implemented in the Ioniq 6 N as well, Hyundai has seemingly started a trend, with Aston Martin executives earlier this week admitting to thinking about developing their own similar system.
Speaking to The Drive, Porsche’s prototype fleet manager Sascha Niesen said the Stuttgart firm could also simulate engine sounds and the feeling of gearshifts in its future EVs – and it’s already got test cars which mimic an eight-speed auto and V8 engine.
“We recorded noises from both the sound it’s making on the inside for the interior, and for the outside, the sound coming out of the exhaust,” Niesen said.
“You need to modulate it because the rev range [on the EV] is much bigger. But in theory, if you would introduce virtual gear shifts, you could use the whole thing, depending how many virtual gears you would introduce.
“It’s in consideration if we want to do it or not. It would need hardware. Because right now you don’t have any shifter paddles [in the Cayenne EV].”
According to Niesen, he “wanted to hate” the fake gearshifts and sounds, however admitted the experience ended up a good one.
“I drove a concept vehicle in March,” Neisen told The Drive.
“I wanted to hate it because it’s artificial and it’s fake and everything. I was afraid that the people that are doing it are just software geeks who have no idea how a transmission works and try to emulate it.
“[…] they [Porsche’s gearbox engineers know what they’re doing. They were able to make it feel like a proper torque converter gearbox. I could not tell the difference.”
The executive added carmakers have to “give the customer the option to be more engaged, but in an EV, it cannot be mandatory”.
“From an engineering perspective, it doesn’t make any sense to introduce a gear shift. But then again, you have continuously variable transmissions that did introduce gear shifts because it felt more natural. You didn’t need it.”
As reported earlier this week, Porsche has announced layoffs at its high-performance battery plant, while also facing a number of setbacks across some of its EV projects.
The Taycan electric sedan is not selling at the rates it was once expected, the now all-electric Macan SUV is facing the same fate and could be joined by a petrol-powered counterpart, and the battery-powered 718 twins (Cayman and Boxster) have been delayed.
Perhaps adding simulated sounds and gearshifts isn’t a huge priority for Porsche, then.
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