Vehicle Sound (speeds lower than 25 mph/40 kmph)

bruintoo · Mar 18, 2016

So I read in the manual that the e-tron generates electronic vehicle sound at speeds up to approximately 25 mph (40kn/h) so that the car can be heard from the ouside when in electric drive mode. The vehicle sound automatically fades out at higher speeds when the sounds from the tires and wind start increasing.

Anybody knows what this electronic vehicle sound sounds like? I can't hear even with the windows and moonroof open.

jerry3561 · Mar 19, 2016

I'm also interested in what it sounds like. Let us hope that they get it right!

I don't think they are fitted in the UK market yet and I am not sure about other European countries.

I guess it's all down to when legislation comes into force in the respective markets.

5x112 · Mar 25, 2016

I read that until there is legislation, audi has not installed the noisemaker on us models. I had one on a Lexus ct200, and I just unplugged the speaker. The etron doesn't have one, thankfully.

msjulie · Jan 16, 2017

5x112":drmygle7 said:
I read that until there is legislation, audi has not installed the noisemaker on us models. I had one on a Lexus ct200, and I just unplugged the speaker. The etron doesn't have one, thankfully.

Our US 2017 car makes the sounds of an engine idling... kinda lame but it isn't too loud. At first I thought it was the actual gas engine.. otherwise the car is near deadly silent. Luckily from the inside, this sound is not heard

rfortson · Jan 17, 2017

I thought I read in the manual (2016) that it made a noise at low speeds. My neighbor made a comment about it the other day. Said it was a "whirring/sci fi" sound. I can't really hear it inside the car. To me, it sounds like that could just be electric motor noise, but I know my Ford Escape Hybrid (from 2007) was silent for the few hundred feet it would run on battery only.

arne · Jan 17, 2017

Can't hear it from inside the car, but our 2016 does make a clicking/whirring sound that increases in frequency as the car speed increases. I jokingly refer to it as the "playing card in the spokes" sound.