With the “influx” of electric and hybrid vehicles, HARMAN saw a unique opportunity to apply our expertise in sound and acoustics to the automotive industry in an entirely new way. Enter HALOsonic – an advanced suite of sound management technologies. HALOsonic’s Electronic Sound Synthesis (ESS) solution equips electric and hybrid vehicles with audible feedback both inside and outside the car, adding sound when needed and helping remove it when it’s not.
Using the same design principles deployed in high-end consumer and professional audio, the HALOsonic controller synthesizes traditional engine sounds in direct correlation to vehicle speed. These are projected from the front of the hybrid or electric car to alert nearby pedestrians through high-fidelity speakers, promoting greater awareness of when the vehicle is approaching and, thereby, helping reduce accidents. This audio feedback may also be experienced inside the car at the driver’s option.
HALOsonic Engine Order Cancellation (EOC), on the other hand, is a radical new way to reduce engine noises for those within a vehicle’s passenger compartment. Traditional methods use heavy, noise-dampening insulation that adds weight to the car and results in higher carbon emissions and hampered engine performance. In an innovative break from tradition, EOC technology sends a noise-cancelling audio signal through the vehicle’s audio system, precisely calibrated to mitigate engine noise along the full spectrum of speeds at no additional weight. Similarly, HALOsonic Road Noise Cancellation (RNC) technology minimizes unwanted sound generated by the tires rolling across the road surface.