CooperSE Motor Sound

Computer generated. I like the Porsche Taycan one better. Nice burble and even sounds like it's changing gear( it does have gears I think).

jeremybingham said:

Computer generated. I like the Porsche Taycan one better. Nice burble and even sounds like it's changing gear( it does have gears I think).

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It has a two-speed rear axle transmission.

TheOrdinaryOne said:

The "spaceship" type sound the SE makes as one drives past you - is that computer generated, or the actual sound of the motor? Just interested, because other EVs don't make such a unique sound.

Getting my SE in July - can't wait!

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It is a legal requirement for an EV to make a noise at slow speeds - it stops over about 18 mph. Each EV manufacturer is choosing their own 'voice'. When you full-bore accelerate you can just make out some reduction gearbox whine.

It’s also a combination: the pedestrian warning sound emanating from the speakers (biased toward the front going forward, and toward the rear when in reverse), on top of the inverter whine, as the battery pack’s direct current is transformed into the alternating current used by the motor. If you switch off the pedestrian warning via BimmerCode (I left mine defaulted to “on” but switchable with the check-box in the menus, and set to one of the six hot buttons), then drive with a window down, you’ll realize how loud and annoying the inverter sounds.