Sounds of sustainability? Sounding out the 'silent car'

Historically, the promotion of cars has been filled with sonic logos and highly profiled music, and the car itself exemplifies a wide variety of branded object sounds - for example, the sounds of the motor, the doors, and the turn indicators. However, the sounds of the car are fundamentally changing in these years. The rumble of combustion engines is thus rapidly being replaced by an almost imperceptible sound from electric motors. The absence of the sound of the (combustion) engine in electric cares requires the production of a new engine sound, as regulations demand that electric cars must produce sound when they back up or drive forward below a certain speed. While such regulations are inspired by safety concerns, there is ample room for car producers to also subject this newly required type of engine sound to sound branding. Based on a selection of commercial films, this presentation explores 1) what characterizes the (marketing of the) sounds of the ‘silent’ electric car; and 2) to what extent do the sounds signify ‘sustainability’?