REPORT: High-tech muffler speakers make diesel engine sound sporty, cut noise levels by 20 dB

An exhaust-system and heating-solution supplier has reportedly engineered an electronic way to modify the sound coming from a vehicle's tailpipe. The company, Eberspächer, claims the innovation can make diesel-powered vehicles sound sportier and add an audible sound track to near-silent electric vehicles.

While mechanical devices – including flaps, dampers, or acoustic materials – have become commonplace in modern exhaust systems, this unique technology utilizes a dedicated electronic control unit (ECU) to emit sound waves to counter much of the unwanted frequencies (similar to the process of noise-canceling headphones). Of course, the same speaker technology that generates the "white noise" may be used to create new exhaust notes.

The obvious benefits are more appealing exhaust tunes, but it doesn't just stop there. This sound-deadening technology allows automakers to reduced the size of the existing mufflers (saving both weight and cost), and it may add some needed noise to the electric vehicles navigating our roads and highways.


[Source: SAE International]

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