Mustang Mach-E

Make
Ford
Segment
SUV

Electric cars are slowly winning over enthusiasts with their instant torque delivery and fun-to-drive nature, but there is still one critical part missing from this new wave of motor vehicles: a sweet engine sound. Most electric cars these days emit no sound whatsoever, which suits most people just fine. But gearheads aren't satisfied, and manufacturers and aftermarket companies are slowly starting to make this realization. Cars such as the Maserati GranTurismo EV generate an awesome-sounding engine note that sounds like an alien spaceship, and now Borla, in cooperation with AudioControl, has developed a new Ford Mustang Mach-E sound system, and it sounds good.

The new system has been designed to give the Mustang Mach-E some serious cohones by imitating real ICE vehicle sounds. The system's proprietary Borla algorithm uses information such as load, speed, rpm, speed, and power to generate engine noises. Borla, which is most famous for developing aftermarket exhaust systems for all sorts of cars, made use of professional recordings of vehicles equipped with its exhausts to funnel through the Mach-E's speaker system. These sounds are played out in real-time using the car's ECU data, and the best part is that users can log into the Borla mobile app to select from multiple exhaust sounds, all of which can be customized to suit any occasion.

"Sound, vision, and touch are the three senses we use for sport driving, and without the real-time feedback of motor and vehicle dynamics through sound waves and vibration, much of that experience is missing. This product is actually an instrument in more ways than one. It's like an audio tachometer that provides drivers with that real-time feedback, and it's also like a musical instrument that plays an exciting soundtrack that enhances the driving experience giving the vehicle personality and a sense of soul. After all, who wants to watch Fast n' Furious movies or play Forza with no sound? They go to great lengths to ensure sound is prevalent in those mediums for a reason," said vice president of sales and marketing at Borla Performance, David Borla.

EV cars operating in the US are required by law to make some sort of noise when traveling below 18.6 miles per hour, but no law states exactly what noise a vehicle should make. This has resulted in some pretty strange approaches, but the law is necessary: according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), hybrids and electric vehicles are 19 percent more likely to be involved in pedestrian-related accidents due to their quiet nature. Borla aims to save lives and convince EV owners that their cars have V8 engines, and we don't see anything wrong with that.