Actively Cancel or Design Sound inside the Vehicle

Two major techniques in Automotive world have been famous over last 2 decades : ANC (acoustic noise cancellation) and ASD (acoustic sound design). Though both of them are meant for enhancing passenger comfort & delight in driving their vehicles on road, they differ in their actions.

ANC aims at elimination of certain disturbing sound reaching the passengers' ears whereas ASD modifies the internal cabin sound to provide a tailored & enjoyable feel!

A question is for new generation Electric Vehicles (EVs) whether ASD will be preferred by majority of passengers to give them a feel of sportive sound since such pure EVs are already enjoying a quieter cabin. But for specific driveline boom at higher speeds and against rough road noise, ANC could be desirable.

That is why it is seen that some of high end car manufacturers such as BMW, Audi, Porsche, VW, Mercedes-Benz, have options of both ANC and ASD in some of their models to modify the interior sound atmosphere as per choice of their special customers !

In India, where the cost of ownership is more dominant factor among majority of customers, "ANC versus ASD" debate is still not existing. But in coming years, as demand for premium luxurious models hopefully goes high & high, our desi NVH Engineers will need to study "What is there in customers' mind ? Total quietness or a Ferrari like sportive racing car sound in their EVs or combination of them at multiple events.... ?"