In addition to the detailed comment https://carspiritpk.com/future-of-conventional-supercars/#comment-12773 by “EV hatchback vs EV supercar distinct sound” below, here is a new video from Hoonigan series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO2Li9BMQp8
Ken Block’s ELECTRIKHANA: High Stakes Playground; Las Vegas, in the Audi S1 HOONITRON

posted on 25th Oct 2o22. From the video it is apparent that the EV’s motor begins with a slight hum like what the makers of futuristic movies e.g. Tron have shown. It feels good for a few seconds but then as goes on & on continuously it becomes to feel like the shrill note of a dentist’s drill.

Sir Usman it could be a very good idea to publish an article on EV motors. The point in the above-linked article is true, engines get a lot of attention and whether it is an I3, I4, V6, DOHC, VVT etc. is clearly mentioned in sales brochures and there is a lot of comprehensive knowledge on the net about it, too. However, in the EVs, only the battery ever gets any attention; and people – even enthusiasts – are … in the dark and totally illiterate about the current state of the art of EV motor tech and the variety available.

There’s already an article on gearboxes https://carspiritpk.com/automatic-vs-manual-vs-cvt-different-transmission-types-explained/ so why not one about EV motors too.

EV hatchback will have permanent magnet motor whereas EV supercar will AC induction motor, both will sound different. Even current EVs have a subtle but distinct motor whirring sound that you can tell apart one from the other. It is similar to how you can identify the sound of one ICE vs another. Read on to find out more:

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I don’t think it is going to be the same. For one, the motors will be of different power, different load capacity and different physical size from car to car. Some will have 1 motor, some will have 2 and some will have 4 motors. All motors will turn on or off or change their power output or RPM independent of each other.

Then there is the issue of tyre noise, wheel bearings, road noise and insulation materials used in each car.

If you have traveled in subway/metro or other electric train in many places you may know that when the VFD (variable frequency drive) motors in these trains accelerate, they just sound like they’re changing gears. In fact the sound changes when the VFD controller changes the frequency at which the winding is being operates. The frequency tends to be different according to the load, speed, required thrust etc. hence different startups can sound different too. Similarly the number of motors operational per railcar and for the whole train are also different according to the slope and the load.

VVVF Inverter , sample switching frequency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_GlnJOTdKs The video’s description says “VVVF Inverter , sample switching frequency to change the frequency of 1 and 2 kHz ( gear shift sound)”. The comments are worth reading, specially the people from countries where electric trains are common are well-accustomed to what kind of sound is expected from which make & model of train. Someone even said this is like music.

Gear Changing without Gears: PWM Motor Drives https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6AUVwlhCis The description includes “sounds just like the train to London from Cambridge!” and “Later ‘PWM’ methods have a higher switching frequency and probably use space vector modulation (SVM), so this effect is no longer heard on newer trains and EMUs.”

Why do trains make interesting sounds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOm8ePMg1dE

This lift sounds like a train – EPIC VF PULSING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J18Mjo291Fw

1 MW (~1350 hp) locomotive DC electric motor spinning up at full power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJNqpcsvlqI

Similarly with braking/regen braking there is downshifting kind of sounds – BEST METRO SOUND EVER!? – GVB R-net Amsterdam S3 M4 CAF Metro – VVVF – Train motor sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3KHAMfEjmY

This is also the same reason why ceiling fans’ motors sound different on WAPDA supply/generator, different on conventional transformer-based square-wave UPS and still different on newer PWM-based simulated sine-wave UPS.
Nowadays VFD is in fashion for nearly all motors because it helps reduce starting current, which is usually 3 times the operating current for a motor. Hence DC inverter A/Cs and fridges. AC to DC converter is called a rectifier, then why is it called DC inverter? Because 50Hz 220v or 60Hz 110v AC cannot be VFD, hence first it is changed into DC using a rectifier, then an inverter which produces “variable frequencies” is fed from this rectifier, this inverter basically feeds the motor. Hence “DC inverter fridge” is the short form of “AC mains to DC rectifier to AC inverter fridge”. Even the motors for tower cranes now come with DC inverter option which greatly helps reduce the size of generator and the associated diesel cost in the construction zone.

The video of NIO EP9 above also has some sound, either simulated or actual. In any case maybe the standard road-going sedan would have silent motors, but the sports cars would have high-power motors which could have at least some sound, somewhat like your standard sewing machine or ceiling fan’s motor which makes some sound but refrigerators, A/Cs or water dispensers don’t. While just like modern ICE cars, it may be silent enough that moving EVs remain undetectable over ambient road noise, it may have just enough sound inside the cabin to avoid radio silence.

For example Electric Car Sound Compilation 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2osiyRFFaI8, it shows that electric motors have a distinct initial hum which is recognizable from car to car. Others:
What Sounds do Electric Cars Make? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdDVDSprdm8

This article https://www.thedrive.com/tech/17505/the-secrets-of-electric-cars-and-their-motors-its-not-all-about-the-battery-folks first laments the lack of consumer enthusiasm about electric motors in EVs unlike a V8 vs V6 turbo would, and that only the battery tech gets any media or consumer attention, but then mentions that normal road cars use rare-earth magnet motors whereas sports cars use AC induction motors because they have a better power-to-weight ratio. Just consider it, a 20hp motor for a centrifugal pump normally used in 10-story apartments is very large & heavy that it can only be transported in a Shehzore or Mazda because a Suzuki cannot take its weight, OTOH the EVs are coming with 3x 259hp motors so there definitely are some differences.

EVs are high RPM motors 12000-30000 RPM, during idling, the motor doesn’t switch off and come to a stop with a stationary shaft. The shaft keeps spinning.

About the noise generators at low speeds, https://www.treehugger.com/do-electric-cars-make-noise-5205280 says, “Beyond 18.6 mph, road noise emitted by EVs is nearly the same as that of gasoline cars.”. At higher speeds, the tyre and wind noise effect is greater and it isn’t really easy to listen to your own car’s ICE, and it is only at launch that you listen to sporty notes.

you might wana read this too https://carspiritpk.com/electric-cars-must-make-some-noise/ 🙂

I hope that trend stays 😂 I cannot enjoy a world where an EV hatchback and an EV supercar both sound exactly the same 🥴

that’s why they are working on simulated sounds, for example the SAR Mecha Dragon can produce 5 different sounds 🙂

https://carspiritpk.com/gwms-sar-mecha-dragon-electric-sedan-heading-to-production/

Racing games are going to be really, REALLY boring. Imagine a racing grid full of electric supercars and they all sound the same 😭😭