Listen To The Hypnotic Sound Of The Pininfarina Battista’s Electric Motors

As the fully-electric era draws closer and closer, automakers known for producing sports cars face a battle to instill a tangible emotional quality in cars without an internal combustion engine. One aspect that has come under increasing scrutiny is the audible quality of an EV. BMW has turned to legendary music composer Hans Zimmer to incorporate an immersive sound experience in EVs like the iX M60, and Dodge has promised that its upcoming electric muscle car will have a shocking sound.

Now, Automobili Pininfarina has revealed the soundscape of its upcoming pure electric hypercar known as the Battista. Pininfarina has gone to great lengths to ensure that the 1,877-horsepower Battista sounds as good as it can, but it hasn’t tried to mimic ICE cars in any way.

The soundscape concept for the Battista is known as Suona Puro which the engineers of the car are calling “the sound of sustainable luxury”. It took over 2,000 hours of research, development, and conceptualization for the engineers to get to this point.

“The Suono Puro sound strategy delivers both emotional and essential benefits to the driver,” said Paolo Dellacha, Chief Product and Engineering Officer for Automobili Pininfarina. “Our aim has been to enhance the enjoyment for occupants by channeling natural vehicle architecture sound through an innovative software arrangement, that ensures unwanted noises are omitted and the frequency at which sound is transmitted supports the comfort and wellbeing of the driver.”

Suono Puro is based on the 432 Hz frequency which is said to be both authentic and uplifting. Look no further than legendary composers Verdi and Mozart who both used this frequency. Pininfarina points to how sound resonating at this frequency affects natural elements like water with a gentle ripple effect. It has a similar calming effect on the human body, according to the automaker.

In the video above – and preferably with high-quality headphones – you can listen to the Battista’s carefully orchestrated sound. It’s no V8 or V12, of course, but that wasn’t the goal. Using bespoke software, special synthesizers, and 12 speakers from Naim Audio, the sound transmitted to occupants is based on speed, steering, torque pattern, and driving mode.

There are five driving modes: Calma, Pura, Energiza, Furiosa, and Carattere. Calma transmits the most gentle sound, while Furiosa communicates greater intensity and power to the ear. Remember, this is a car that can hit 60 mph in under two seconds.

The engineers went as far as to fine-tune the soundscape in an anechoic chamber, a 100 percent echo-free room. Based on the video above, the bassy, smooth sound of the Battista is certainly interesting, with less of the spaceship-like, artificial whine associated with EVs. It’s likely to be best experienced from inside the car, though.

“We wanted Suono Puro to be unique and pure, to let the powerful electric motors speak for themselves, while also finding inspiration in the purest sound frequencies,” said Garry Lane, NVH & Sound Managing Engineer. “We had to ensure the Battista’s sounds are instantly recognizable – we want people to hear it and know it is a Battista before seeing it.”