Opel: Special sound for e-Corsa Rally 🎥
THE world's first electric rally one-make cup impresses with plenty of technical and sporting innovation. This also includes the right sound for the fast electric cars. That's the sound of the e-Corsa Rally. But spectators will have to listen carefully to be forewarned... The fact that the Opel Corsa-e Rally has a system for generating noise [...]
That's the sound of the e-Corsa Rally. But the spectators will have to listen carefully to be forewarned...
That the Opel Corsa-e Rally would have a system for generating noise was already clear at the beginning of the development process. A rally vehicle must be acoustically perceptible on a special stage to ensure the safety of spectators and track personnel.
The German Motor Sports Federation (DMSB) also sets standards in this area. As in so many areas of the revolutionary concept, however, there was a lack of experience with the sound system in rallying.
Special requirements
First, there was the question of the hardware. It must be powerful and robust. Commercially available speakers are usually installed inside vehicles or buildings, so they are rarely waterproof.
However, in order for an electric rally vehicle to be heard well by spectators, the speakers must be mounted outside where they are fully exposed to vibrations, dust and moisture.
Navy thanks
The Opel engineers went in search of hard-wearing speakers and found what they were looking for in marine accessories. The front and rear of the Corsa-e Rally now each feature two splash-proof speakers with a power consumption of up to 400 watts.
They are supplied by an amplifier that receives its signals from its own control unit. This black box operates with specially written software that converts the vehicle data.
A question of speed
The system does not work on the basis of speed, but rather on the basis of engine speed, which also makes spinning drive wheels audible. Tuning the final sound image took several months.
The software had to be continuously developed further and is now based on a stationary sound (idle sound), which can be adapted to all speed ranges.
Adjustable volume
The volume can be adjusted in two power levels. When driving on the connecting stage, i.e. on public roads, a quiet mode is used. Only on the special stage is the volume turned up to full. The teams are obliged by the regulations to switch the volume accordingly.
Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott: "We didn't simply want to simulate the sound of an internal combustion engine, but create an independent electric sound that also accompanies this project acoustically. We are satisfied with the result and convinced that the sound will also arouse emotions among the fans at the special stages, even though it is deliberately different from that of a classic rally vehicle with a turbo engine."
Premiere in three weeks
The first test for the new sound system, among others, will take place on June 11 and 12 at the season opener of the ADAC Opel e-Rally Cup at the 50th ADAC Rally Stemweder Berg around Lübbecke. The race also counts as the first round of the German Rally Championship (DRM) and the ADAC Rally Masters.
