Noise cancelling technology?

[iwannam3]

Some manufactures with obsolete 4 cyl gas engines use the car's stereo to cancel out some of the engine noise. Could Tesla use that tech to cancel out some of the only noise you hear, that of the tires? Studded tires roughen up the roads here in the PNW and generate lots of tire noise in any car. I am always amazed how quiet the roads are where studs are not used. Tesla has a camera in the cockpit, do they have a mike?

 

[Derek Kessler]

There is a microphone — otherwise you wouldn't be able to make phone calls!

Active noise cancellation in cars requires at least a few more microphones placed throughout the cabin, which Teslas do not have.

 

[iwannam3]

I wonder if it is harder to cancel high frequency "white" noise than the drone of an ICE doing 3,000 rpm.

 

[voip-ninja]

I wonder if it is harder to cancel high frequency "white" noise than the drone of an ICE doing 3,000 rpm.

In Car & Driver testing the Model 3 was a few decibels louder than the “drone” of an Audi A4 at highway speeds.

In modern premium dinosaur burning cars the engine is not typically the loudest source of noise when cruising.

Tire noise and wind noise are, and they are as bad or worse in an EV as in an ICE.

To answer your original question there is nothing to stop Tesla from putting noise canceling tech in their cars but it does cost money.

 

[NeverFollow]

In modern premium dinosaur burning cars the engine is not typically the loudest source of noise when cruising.

Tire noise and wind noise are, and they are as bad or worse in an EV as in an ICE.

I walk quite often on an overpass above a freeway, and I noticed that cars' wind noise and tires' noise are predominant.
I can notice engine noise only for few performance cars or big trucks.

I also use a subway in San Francisco, called Bart, and the train makes a lot of noise in the curbs.
So bad that it is impossible to keep a conversation with someone sitting next to you.

I try using the Bose cancelling noise headphones, but they are design for the particular
frequency of airplane reactor rumble noise and don't provide too much noticeable noise cancellation.

 

[AMIYY4YOU]

to be honest with you, the noise floor is already so much lower in an EV than an ICE that you would only be able to discern a difference with an A/B comparison and not standalone. Especially when you need a microphone array and additional DSP processing horsepower to do that processing real time - it adds a fair amount of cost. At that point - do you really need it?

Credibility: I literally design noise cancelling systems in cars

 

[iwannam3]

to be honest with you, the noise floor is already so much lower in an EV than an ICE that you would only be able to discern a difference with an A/B comparison and not standalone. Especially when you need a microphone array and additional DSP processing horsepower to do that processing real time - it adds a fair amount of cost. At that point - do you really need it?

Credibility: I literally design noise cancelling systems in cars

What's the estimated cost and db reduction?

 

[nvx1977]

Noise reduction is a very well-understood concept. You record your sound, then invert the resulting sound wave, then play it back. The slower they system plays back the inverted wave, the less effective it is. These days we have the processing power to play back the inverted wave near-instantaneously, so that's not an issue. This works with sound of any frequency.

The problem is that you don't want the noise cancelling technology to cancel out your music or your conversations. How do you isolate those sounds out? With music, the car can have knowledge of the audio coming out of the sound system and subtract out that part of the recorded wave before inverting it. But the car has no knowledge of your conversational audio. So the best it can do is allow a pass-through of typical human voice frequency, which is a pretty wide band. Which means any road or wind noise in that band will also pass through.

 

[jimmyjohn]

Who is "mike?"

Some manufactures with obsolete 4 cyl gas engines use the car's stereo to cancel out some of the engine noise. Could Tesla use that tech to cancel out some of the only noise you hear, that of the tires? Studded tires roughen up the roads here in the PNW and generate lots of tire noise in any car. I am always amazed how quiet the roads are where studs are not used. Tesla has a camera in the cockpit, do they have a mike?

 

[voip-ninja]

Who is "mike?"

Mike is some guy who poorly understands the requirements for doing in-car noise cancellation.

 

[Cheburashka]

to be honest with you, the noise floor is already so much lower in an EV than an ICE that you would only be able to discern a difference with an A/B comparison and not standalone. Especially when you need a microphone array and additional DSP processing horsepower to do that processing real time - it adds a fair amount of cost. At that point - do you really need it?

Credibility: I literally design noise cancelling systems in cars

Your credibility is doubtful.

Most noise in cars comes from the road/tires and wind, not the motor.

 

[AMIYY4YOU]

Your credibility is doubtful.

Most noise in cars comes from the road/tires and wind, not the motor.

At high speeds I agree, but certainly not while idling or city driving which is where my heads at

 

[NOCO24U]

noise cancelling tech bothers my ears. i specifically bought a tesla to avoid it. when it works, it works, but it's never going to perfectly replicate and produce the anti-wave, which at times could result in rogue peaks that are too pure to sound "right". i'm sure i'm the odd man out here, so if/when tesla adds it to their cars, i sincerely hope i can have the option to shut it off. i'd prefer other noise damping tech like better insulation in the wheel wells. (like lexus).