Flutes, synths, a human voice – how should electric vehicles sound?

Take a walk down any busy street and the noise can hit like a speaker accidentally left on full volume. The growls of engines accelerating when the traffic light turns green, motorbikes vying for position in the traffic, buses whizzing past and the odd rev-head all compete to be heard. The sound generated by the internal combustion engine has shaped urban life for a century, but that is gradually going to change: by 2050, 90% of cars in Australia will be electric. Australia is developing noise standards for electric cars that may follow similar rules set by the UN or US, industry experts say. But what exactly an electric car, and ultimately our cities, will sound like is under the creative control of carmakers.