One of the pleasures of driving with your windows open or your top down is the sound of your own engine and the engines of the cars around you. Alas, the shriek of the Ferrari flat plane V8, the burble of a Mercedes cross plane V8 and the chunter of the Porsche flat six Boxer will soon be replaced by silence. Cars will no longer be propelled by a series of explosions- which is the meaning of “internal combustion”.
The beauty in the engineering of these engines will soon be no more. The technology of resonant intake systems, the Testa Rossa cam covers of the Ferrari engine and the tuned exhaust systems will be lost. Replaced by lithium batteries and synchronous rare earth motors.
Electric vehicle technology is also beautiful but it is hidden. Tesla’s beautiful Swiss roll tabless battery design is buried deep under the passenger compartment in the typical EV. But only the sound of silence will be heard.
