Narrator/Advertiser (2:23)

Fair point.

Jay Kapadia (2:24)

Why don't you tell people where they can get it?

Molly Bloom (2:26)

Sure. Any local grocery store should have lots of noodle choices.

Iggy the Delivery Van (2:30)

No, The Smartypass.

Molly Bloom (2:32)

Oh, that's even easier. Head to smartypass.org to sign up. That's smartypass.org to get ad free episodes, discounts on merch, and live shows and hangouts with the Brains On Universe crew. You know, all this talk Smarty Pass has made me a little hungry. I'm gonna go get a snack. You're listening to Brains on, brought to you by the Brains On Universe. I'm your host Molly Bloom. And I'm joined by Asher from Johnson Creek, Wisconsin. Hey there, Asher.

Asher (3:05)

Hi, Molly.

Molly Bloom (3:06)

Today we're taking a look, or should I say listen, to electric cars.

Asher (3:11)

And we're going to answer this question from Emmett in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My name is Emmett and my question is, why are electric cars so quiet?

Molly Bloom (3:23)

Asher, have you noticed that electric cars are quiet?

Asher (3:26)

Yeah, it's just like a quiet hum when they go by. It's.

Molly Bloom (3:33)

Yeah, some of the electric cars have like, interesting backup noises. Have you noticed that?

Asher (3:38)

Yeah. So there's this one guy with an electric car across the street. And I notice, like, the electric car sound gets way louder when he puts it in reverse.

Molly Bloom (3:50)

Yeah. I think they're like, we don't want to run you over, so we're going to get louder. Be careful. Yeah. What sounds do you associate with cars on the street?

Asher (4:01)

For regular cars, I just think it's loud and kind of like sounds like clanging in it.

Molly Bloom (4:10)

Do you have a favorite car?

Asher (4:12)

So there's this. I just like, read about it. It's this flying car, but it's like, with no wings or propellers. The fans are contained within the car.

Molly Bloom (4:24)

Is it real?

Asher (4:26)

Yeah, it's electric. Some aeronautics company made it.

Molly Bloom (4:32)

Whoa. That is very cool. Do you think you'd like to try a flying car?

Asher (4:37)

Yes. I think it would be so fun to drive a flying car.

Iggy the Delivery Van (4:43)

Brazon.

Molly Bloom (4:47)

So back to today's question. Why are electric cars so quiet? To answer it, we auto check out some vehicles in action. Let's head down to the Brainzonn body shop.

Asher (4:58)

The Brains on body shop?

Molly Bloom (5:00)

Yeah. Body shops are garages where people repair cars and trucks. Follow me. Whoa, it's noisy in here today.

Iggy the Delivery Van (5:14)

You calling me noisy, Molly?

Molly Bloom (5:17)

Well, if it isn't Iggy the delivery van. Iggy, this is Asher.

Iggy the Delivery Van (5:22)

Pleased to meet you, Asher. Whatcha doing on the pod today? Talking trucks.

Asher (5:28)

Yeah, we're exploring why electric cars are.

Molly Bloom (5:30)

So quiet and why gas powered cars like you make such a racket.

Iggy the Delivery Van (5:34)

Racket? No way. We make music, baby.

Asher (5:39)

Grumbly and rumbly. I like it.

Molly Bloom (5:42)

Like a lot of gas powered cars and trucks on the road today. Iggy the delivery van has something called an internal combustion engine or an engine powered by explosions.

Iggy the Delivery Van (5:53)

My mother always told me, iggy, you've got explosives. Explosive energy.

Molly Bloom (5:58)

Yes. But don't worry. The explosions in vehicles like Iggy are very small and controlled.

Iggy the Delivery Van (6:03)

Yeah. Let me tell you how I work. So first you fill up my tank at the gas station. Then you turn me on, and that gasoline gets piped from the tank to My engine.

Asher (6:16)

Inside the engine are these strong metal cylinders. They look like super tough big cans of soda.

Molly Bloom (6:23)

That's where the explosions happen. The cylinders fill with gas and air. Then there's a tiny spark inside the cylinder and kablooey. A small explosion happens.

Asher (6:34)

That explosion pushes down on something called the piston. The piston is inside of the cylinder and it's shaped like a thick hockey puck.

Molly Bloom (6:42)

With each mini explosion, the puck shaped piston gets pushed up and down and turns a metal arm around and round.

Asher (6:48)

Which makes the car wheels turn.

Iggy the Delivery Van (6:51)

Watch me roll.

Molly Bloom (6:53)

Wait, wait, wait. Not yet, Iggy. The garage door is closed.

Iggy the Delivery Van (6:57)

Oops, sorry.

Molly Bloom (6:59)

Don't worry about it. So the explosions inside internal combustion engines keep trucks like Iggy moving.

Asher (7:06)

But these kinds of engines are noisy.

Iggy the Delivery Van (7:09)

Hey, being noisy ain't the worst thing in the world.

Molly Bloom (7:12)

True, the noise lets people know you're coming down the road.

Asher (7:15)

But electric cars, they're known for being very quiet.

Electra Sparks (7:19)

Yes, we are.

Molly Bloom (7:21)

Where did that other car come from?

Electra Sparks (7:24)

Call me Electra. Electra Sparks.

Asher (7:27)

You snuck up on us, Electra.

Electra Sparks (7:30)

That's because I'm electric, baby. Instead of those noisy gas burning engines, electric cars use batteries to make our wheels spin.

Asher (7:39)

How does it work?

Electra Sparks (7:41)

Well, when you plug in an electric car like me, electricity flows into my batteries.

Molly Bloom (7:47)

That energy is stored in the electric car's battery until you need it, like charging a cell phone or a laptop computer. Then when someone presses their foot down on your pedal to make you go, energy zooms out of the battery to your motor.

Electra Sparks (8:00)

And that makes my wheels spin. But unlike noisy combustion engines like Iggy's, my motor is super quiet. That's because it runs on electricity, not explosions.

Iggy the Delivery Van (8:13)

But humans are used to being able to hear vehicles on the road.

Molly Bloom (8:16)

Noise does help. People who are walking visually impaired or on bikes notice when a vehicle is nearby.

Asher (8:22)

And it can be dangerous if cars are silent because you can't hear them coming.

Iggy the Delivery Van (8:26)

Yeah, Electra is a sneaky ev.

Electra Sparks (8:31)

So I've got a lot of shush in my woosh.

Asher (8:34)

These days, electric cars usually play special sounds when they drive. Didn't your designers give you sounds, Electra?

Electra Sparks (8:41)

Oh, that's why I'm at the Brainzound Body shop today. I need my signature sounds installed, then I'll be ready for the road.

Molly Bloom (8:49)

That makes sense. In 2019, the US and Europe passed laws that require automakers to put speakers on the outside of all new electric and hybrid vehicles. These speakers play different sounds to help alert people that cars are nearby.

Asher (9:04)

I bet you're gonna sound so cool, Electra.

Molly Bloom (9:06)

Aw, thanks, listeners if you want to learn more about the history of electric cars, our sister podcast, Forever Ago has an episode all about it. It's called it's the history of Electric Cars. You can listen wherever you listen to Brains on.

Asher (9:26)

Hey, wait a second, Molly, do you hear that? It sounds like it's time for the.

Molly Bloom (9:34)

Mystery sound. Are you ready to guess a mystery sound, Asher?

Asher (9:41)

Yeah.

Molly Bloom (9:42)

All right, here it is. What do you think?

Asher (9:54)

Maybe like someone sledding down a hill? Because it sounded kind of like snow compressing, like. Oh, kind of like crunching.

Molly Bloom (10:07)

I like that idea. Let's hear it one more time. Okay. What do you think now? Same thoughts, different thoughts.

Asher (10:19)

Yeah, I think I'm going to stick with that because I can't really think of anything else it could be.

Molly Bloom (10:25)

Yeah, I have no idea either. So I'm going to guess like a straw slurping up the remnants of a milkshake. Probably because I'm very hungry right now. That's what it sounded like to me. Okay, we're gonna play it again at the end of this episode. Get another chance to guess and hear the answer.

Asher (10:46)

So keep listening.

Molly Bloom (10:50)

Hey, friends, we've got an episode coming up all about Skun. They're cute, they're cuddly, and they can stink. But the stink is a defense mechanism. That means it's a way for skunks to scare away animals that might hurt them, which is a pretty unique way to scare off your enemies. If you could design a unique way to scare off animal enemies, what would it be? Would you blow a bubble big enough to shield you? Or summon the stench of gym socks? Or let off a high pitched shriek that summons neighborhood dogs? Share your idea for a wild animal defense mechanism by going to brainson.org contact while you're there, you can also send us your drawings and questions.

Asher (11:31)

And keep listening. You're listening to Brains On. I'm Asher.

Molly Bloom (11:44)

And I'm Molly. Today we're exploring why electric cars are so quiet.

Asher (11:49)

We learned that most cars on the road these days are powered by gas.

Molly Bloom (11:54)

These cars have internal combustion engines, which use lots of tiny explosions to power them. They can also be noisy.

Asher (12:02)

Electric cars use energy stored in big batteries to help them move.

Molly Bloom (12:07)

Because they don't have internal combustion engines, electric cars are much quieter.

Asher (12:12)

To keep people on the road safe, car designers have to create sounds for electric cars to play while driving.

Molly Bloom (12:19)

That way, people know to look for them when crossing the street or walking past the driveway, for example.

Asher (12:25)

And a lot of the sounds electric vehicles make are pretty cool. Like this and this.

Molly Bloom (12:41)

So we wanted to know who's designing these awesome sounds and how do they decide which sounds to use?

Asher (12:47)

Jay Kapadia is here with the answers.

Molly Bloom (12:49)

He's the lead engineer and sound design specialist for General Motors. Hi, Jay.

Asher (12:54)

Hello, Jay.

Jay Kapadia (12:55)

Hi, Molly. Hi, Asher. I'm so happy to be with you guys today.

Asher (13:00)

So, Jay, how did you get into designing sounds for cars?

Jay Kapadia (13:05)

I've always loved sound. So as a kid, I played instruments and recorded weird noises on my cassette player. Later I studied music and sound design, and I realized cars were becoming more like computers on the wheels. So I thought, wait, cars need a voice too. So now I get to make those voices and sometimes even personalities. It's like giving the car its own soundtrack.

Asher (13:33)

What kind of sounds are you designing for electric vehicles?

Jay Kapadia (13:37)

Yeah, so we are working on all sorts of cool stuff. There is the sound that comes from the car that helps people hear it, called the pedestrian friendly alert. So then there are sounds inside, like when you start the car, shift gears or press buttons. So you know when you are in a car and the driver starts going really fast and you can hear the engine inside the car. Well, with electric motors, that engine sound is really quiet. And if you can't hear sound that matches the speed you are moving, it will make you feel car sick because your senses aren't aligned. So we also design engine like sounds that rise and fall as you speed up or slow down. Like the car's own musical language that tells you how it's feeling.

Asher (14:29)

Nice. What do you think about when you're making these sounds?

Jay Kapadia (14:34)

So I think, what kind of character is this car? Is it brave, sporty, calm? Then I try to imagine what that character's voice would be. So we use computers, microphones, synthesizers, and even real world sound recordings. So it's more about storytelling through sound, you know?

Asher (14:59)

Yeah, that's really cool. Are there rules you have to follow when you're designing the sounds?

Jay Kapadia (15:05)

Totally. So there are safety rules. Like the sound has to be loud enough for people to hear it outside, and it can't be too scary or annoying. And it has to work in every kind of weather as well. So there are also design rules that it says that it should match the car's look and feel. So sporty car shouldn't sound like a sleepy turtle.

Asher (15:30)

What's your favorite sound that you've made?

Jay Kapadia (15:33)

Oh, that's a fun one. I'd love to make a car that sounds like a friendly robot dinosaur. Imagine a low rumble mixed with chirps and a soft roar. So I've been Playing around with that sound, it's not scary, just awesome. Like a T. Rex with a big heart.

Molly Bloom (15:50)

That's so cool. And I'm wondering if you could walk us through, like, one of the sounds you've made, the problem you were solving for and how what you made and how you made it.

Jay Kapadia (16:00)

Yeah. So, you know, designing Eevee sounds for me is like being a dj, a composer, and a wizard all at once. You know, we use something called a synthesizer. It's like a magic paintbrush for sound. So we mix together different frequencies. That's like sound colors and also wave shapes. That's like the brush strokes to paint a sound picture. So we think about what the car feels like smooth, sporty, or friendly. And then we turn that into the feeling, into that sound. And not necessarily we always use a synthesizer to create that, but we also use a lot of authentic natural instruments as well. For example, to create the entire Cadillac signature sound, we used an instrument, ancient Australian instrument called as the digiridoo, which has some nice lower tones and frequencies, which kind of calms everyone down.

Asher (17:04)

That is so cool. Do you think that car sound design will change in the future as more cars become electric?

Jay Kapadia (17:10)

Absolutely. As more cars go, electric sound becomes even more important. So we are not just copying old engine ish sounds, we are inventing brand new sonic worlds. So one day, maybe your car could sound like waves, wind, or even your favorite video game sounds.

Asher (17:29)

Thanks for talking with us, Jay.

Molly Bloom (17:31)

Thank you, Jay.

Jay Kapadia (17:31)

It's my pleasure.

Iggy the Delivery Van (17:35)

Brazen.

Sandon (17:40)

Um, hey, Molly.

Molly Bloom (17:41)

Oh, hi, Sanon. You know, had a great time. We're still taping the Electric Cars episode.

Sandon (17:45)

Yeah, I. I know. Sorry about. I was just going to rearrange my candy corn closet, and when I opened the door, do you know what washed out and covered me up to my waist?

Molly Bloom (17:55)

I'm gonna guess candy corn.

Sandon (17:57)

Dream come true. But no, it was mail from listeners. You know, drawings, mystery sound ideas, questions. Molly, we've gotta get this mail situation under control.

Molly Bloom (18:12)

Stand back, Sandin. I. I have the solution. It's the Brains on Mailbag, where we pick a random piece of mail and answer it on the spot. Sandon, do you have any pieces of mail with you?

Sandon (18:28)

Oh, yeah. Here's one stuck to me.

Molly Bloom (18:31)

Was it stuck to your jacket with candy corn?

Sandon (18:34)

Uh, hold on. Let's see.

Molly Bloom (18:38)

Mmm. Mmm. Yeah.

Sandon (18:40)

Definitely.

Molly Bloom (18:40)

Yes. Okay. Today's letter comes from John in Ann Arbor, who sent in a joke. Sandon, let's listen and you can respond.

Asher (18:49)

Hi, my name is John and I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And I have A joke for you. Why didn't the skeleton cross the road? Because it didn't have the guts.

Sandon (19:08)

Loved it. And here's one for you, John. What do you call a skeleton who rings your doorbell? A dead ringer.

Molly Bloom (19:16)

Ah. Those jokes were both rib splitters. Listeners, we love getting mail and we want to hear from you. So go to brainson.org to send us your questions about the show or maybe your own hilarious joke.

Sandon (19:28)

Or send us your idea for a new room in the BrainZN headquarters. Thanks.

Molly Bloom (19:39)

Coming up, we're going to play a very noisy game show. Rev up your engines and your ears.

Asher (19:46)

Brains on.

Molly Bloom (19:53)

Want to hear our shows? With no ads, you can and you'll be directly supporting everything we do at Brainson Universe. Head to brainson.org and join SmartyPass. You'll get ad free episodes, bonus stuff, and access to virtual hangouts with our team. Thank you for keeping us strong. Now, Asher, all this car talk has gotten me in the mood for a.

Asher (20:14)

Car themed game show.

Molly Bloom (20:16)

Yes. In this game, we'll play two sounds, and you have to guess which one is a car and which is from something you might find around your house. You ready to play, Asher?

Asher (20:31)

Yes.

Molly Bloom (20:32)

Alrighty then. Start your engine because here are your first two sounds. Okay, that's sound one. And let's hear sound two. All right, which one is the car?

Asher (20:52)

I think it's sound two because it sounds like a tractor trailer.

Molly Bloom (20:59)

So you said the second one, and you are correct. That was a car idling. Very nice. What do you think that first one was? Let's hear it again.

Asher (21:15)

I think it was like a dryer because it sounds kind of a little offset.

Narrator/Advertiser (21:23)

Mmm.

Molly Bloom (21:24)

You have very good ears. That was, however, a ceiling fan.

Asher (21:30)

Oh, that makes sense because it would sound like air.

Molly Bloom (21:35)

Similar movement to a dryer. Okay, let's hear the next pair. Here's sound number one. Here's sound number two. Whoa. All right, which one do you think is a car?

Asher (21:58)

I think it's second again, because I'd never really heard the second one. And also the first one sounds like exactly like a hairdryer.

Molly Bloom (22:08)

Oof. My friend, you are correct. The second one was the sound of an electric Corvette. So one of those cool electric car sounds. And the first one was a hairdryer.

Narrator/Advertiser (22:22)

Yes.

Molly Bloom (22:23)

Very, very good. All right, we have one more pair for you. Here's the first one. Okay. And then the second sound. So which of those sounds was made by a car?

Asher (22:47)

This one is tricky because they sound relatively alike.

Molly Bloom (22:54)

Do you want to hear them again?

Asher (22:55)

Sure.

Jay Kapadia (22:56)

Okay.

Molly Bloom (23:08)

What do you think?

Asher (23:10)

I think it's number one because it sounds kind of like a turn signal and all the other ones have been number two.

Molly Bloom (23:22)

You are totally correct. There was a turn signal. Do you have any thoughts about what the second one was?

Asher (23:29)

No, I have no idea.

Molly Bloom (23:31)

Yeah, that's a tricky one because it's a pocket watch. Have you ever seen a pocket watch, Asher?

Asher (23:37)

Yeah, I used to have like this red one.

Molly Bloom (23:39)

Oh, you're a fancy person. I love that you had a pocket watch. Very good work, Asher. You have excellent, excellent ears.

Asher (23:46)

Thank you.

Molly Bloom (23:48)

Brains.

Jay Kapadia (23:49)

Brains.

Molly Bloom (23:49)

Brains. Speaking of sounds, what's making that one?

Asher (24:01)

Electra Sparks, the electric car Electra.

Molly Bloom (24:04)

You got your new sounds installed and wow, they are unique.

Electra Sparks (24:10)

Yes, I picked them myself. Aren't they amazing?

Molly Bloom (24:14)

They certainly are. I'm pretty sure you'll never sneak up on anyone ever again.

Asher (24:23)

Gas powered cars use internal combustion engines.

Molly Bloom (24:26)

These engines create lots of little explosions which help the wheels turn.

Asher (24:31)

But these engines can be noisy.

Molly Bloom (24:33)

Electric cars run on electricity which charges up their batteries, like how we charge a cell phone or a laptop computer.

Asher (24:40)

Electric powered motors are much quieter than.

Molly Bloom (24:42)

Gas engines, so designers create special sounds for them to play so people can.

Asher (24:47)

Hear them coming and to keep everyone safe.

Molly Bloom (24:49)

That's it for this episode of Brains On. This episode was written by Rosie Dupont and Mark Sanchez. This episode was edited by San and Tottenham and Shayla Farzan and fact checked by Shayla Farzan. We had engineering help from Jason Reeve and Eric Romani with sound design and original music by Mark Sanchez. Our website design is by ken Taborski@codeofthenorth.com Special thanks to Jeremy and Pamela Langel, Tobin, Aaron and Paxton, and Eric Ringham. Also, big shout out to Jasper de Cruyff for his research assistants. Brainzon is part of the Brainzon universe. Want to hear other shows in our orbit? Want to hear them ad free? It's easy. Just join SmartyPass, that's our ad free subscription service, where you can find episodes of Smashboom, Best Forever Ago, and Brains On. There's even extra secret bonus stuff for you. You can become a member today with options starting at just $6 a month or $60 a year. Head to brainson.org while you're there, you.

Asher (25:44)

Can send us mystery sounds, drawings and questions.

Molly Bloom (25:49)

All right, Asher, are you ready to listen to that mystery sound again?

Asher (25:53)

Yes.

Molly Bloom (25:54)

All right, here it is. What do you think?

Asher (26:05)

I'm trying to think of something besides a sled because it doesn't really actually sound like snow crunching sounds. Kind of like there was air moving over the sound thing, though. So maybe it was like rocks falling into something.

Molly Bloom (26:29)

Ooh, very nice. In the game show, you got so many mystery sounds. Correct. So, you know, this is just a cherry on top, if you get it right. As far as I'm concerned. Yeah. I still have no idea.

Asher (26:38)

I think I'm gonna stick with my sled idea.

Molly Bloom (26:44)

All right. And I'm going to stick with my milkshake idea because I'm still very hungry. Let's hear the answer.

Asher (26:51)

Hi, our names are Avery and Addison. We're from Illinois. That was the sound of a candle burning.

Molly Bloom (27:00)

What?

Asher (27:01)

Oh, it must have been like one of those maybe wood candles or maybe a loud one, because I don't really notice a candle sound.

Molly Bloom (27:10)

Me neither. Maybe. I wonder if it's one of those, like, sparky ones. Have you seen those, like, special birthday candles that kind of give off sparks?

Asher (27:18)

Yeah, it could have been a wood wick candle, like one with the wick that's made out of wood and it crackles.

Molly Bloom (27:25)

Oh, I've never even seen one of those. Now I'm gonna be on the lookout.

Asher (27:30)

Me too.

Molly Bloom (27:35)

Now it's time for the brains honor roll. These are the incredible kids who keep the show going with their questions, ideas, mystery sounds, drawings, and high fives. Sebastian from Arlington, Virginia. Barry from Montreuil, France. Cal from San Marcos, Texas. Zoe from Massachusetts. Lillian from Tucson, Arizona. Gage from Baden, Pennsylvania. Lexi from Melbourne, Australia. Emory from San Angelo, Texas. Emmett from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Taven from Montana. Anne from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Liam from Cumming, Georgia. Trace from Memphis, Tennessee. Jupiter from Blue Mountains, Australia. Adelaide from Grants Pass, Oregon. Alma and Eva from Vilnius, Lithuania. Madeline and Lydia from New York City. Fatima and Mohammad from Saudi, Arabia. Tessa from Asheville, North Carolina. Wyatt from Farallon, New Jersey. Barry from Fort Worth, Texas. Max from Brooklyn, New York. Ilya from Washington, D.C. claire from Bethesda, Maryland. Dorian from South Portland, Maine. Lucas from Woodstock, Georgia. Theo from Atlanta. Elsie from Dubai. Catherine from Richmond Hill, Ontario. Eastwood from Cibolo, Texas. Nora from Minneapolis. Ella from Phoenix. Isaac from East Orange, New Jersey. Harper from Sydney, Australia. Sonia from Morris, Minnesota. Jack and Margo from Oklahoma City. Nico from Washington, D.C. estelle and Josephine from Salt Lake City. Rebecca from Needham, Massachusetts. Siddharth from Seattle. Luke and Riley from Saskatoon. Vayom from Pasadena, California. Ryan from Coquitlam, British Columbia. Mia from Bury in Washington. Olive from Toronto. Arthur and Vivian from Dayton, Minnesota. Claire from Charlottetown. Prince Edward Island Beckett from Geneva, Illinois. Avery from Redmond, Washington. Salvi from Wakefield, Massachusetts. Everett from Liberty, Hill, Texas Penny from Jacksonville, Florida Ava from San Francisco, Ray from New Jersey, Abby from Wilmington, Delaware Josephine from Richmond, British, British Columbia. Cadence and Lydia from Toronto, Greta from New York City and Emmett from Bolton, United Kingdom. Coming up next week, octopuses. You might just hear somebody say, do.

Asher (29:20)

You by chance have any crabs? Thanks for listening.